The Sacramento Kings are in the midst of what promises to be an important offseason for the team. Mike Brown and Co. missed out on the NBA Playoffs a year after looking like a legitimate contender out west.
Sacramento has been heavily involved in NBA trade rumors since its loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
But its first order of business heading into the summer was bringing back guard Malik Monk. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Sacramento has re-signed Monk on a four-year, $78 million contract that comes with a player option.
Monk, 26, found a home in Sacramento after being a first-round bust of the Charlotte Hornets back in 2017. The Kentucky product averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 44% shooting from the field this past season.
With Monk now back in the mix, front office head Monte McNair will now turn his attention to the upcoming NBA Draft and free agency.
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Three moves for the Sacramento Kings after re-signing Malik Monk
- Package NBA Draft pick: Sacramento is slated to pick 13th overall in next week’s NBA Draft. It’s a good position for the team to be in if it wants to get an experienced player in a trade. The Kings also have contracts in that of Trey Lyles and Chris Duarte they can use to acquire an established player. Pure conjecture here, but someone like Grant Williams (Charlotte Hornets) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks) could make sense.
- Add backup point guard: De’Aaron Fox has been absolutely dynamic for Sacramento. But finding a floor general to back him up would make sense for Sacramento if it wants to take the next step. The Kings do have both the non-taxpayer mid-level ($12.86 million) and bi-annual ($4.68 million) to use. That should get the Kings an established player. Monk would then play a more traditional two-guard pot. This could also allow Sacramento to move on from Davion Mitchell in a trade.
- Blockbuster trade for a wing: We know that the Kings have been linked to wings a ton in the past. They are also likely highly to trade Harrison Barnes this summer. Why not package future picks, Barnes contract and Kevin Huerter for a star wing? Zach Lavine would come a lot cheaper than that. Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler could be available. What about DeMar DeRozan? There are a ton of options here. We also mentioned Kyle Kuzma as a possibility recently.