Getty The Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have lost shooting guard Malik Monk to a division rival.
According to multiple reports, Monk is signing a two-year, $19 million deal with the Sacramento Kings. The Kentucky product got most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception from Sacramento, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Malik Monk got most of the Non-Taxpayer MLE from the Kings.
Sacramento likely left enough to sign a player to a four-year minimum deal vs the two years allowed via the Minimum Exception.
Monk appeared in 76 games for the Lakers in 2021-22, averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 79.5% from the free-throw line.
Lakers Will Miss Monk
The Lakers will miss Monk’s production. The scoring guard was fourth on the team in points per game and first in made 3-pointers. Los Angeles superstar LeBron James was a big fan of Monk, telling ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in March that the Arkansas native “brings a knockout punch.”
“He brings a knockout punch that — to be completely honest with you — we haven’t had on our roster since I got here,” James told McMenamin. “Someone that can literally, if he makes one, it can be two, three, four, five in a row. … Me and J-Kidd [Jason Kidd] were talking all the time like, ‘Is there a way we can snatch this guy from [Charlotte’s] roster?’”
Monk reunites with his college teammate De’Aaron Fox on the Kings. The 24-year-old has career averages of 10.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 309 regular-season games with the Charlotte Hornets and Lakers.
How Can Lakers Replace Monk’s Production?
The Lakers will have to rely on Kendrick Nunn to be their bench scorer next season. Nunn didn’t play at all in 2021-22 due to a bone bruise in his right knee. According to a June 21 report from McMenamin, the guard is opting into the final year of his contract with the Lakers worth $5.3 million.
Nunn has career averages of 15.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 123 regular-season games with the Miami Heat. He’s a career 36.4% shooter from beyond the arc, making him a good fit next to James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers could also trade for a $24 million combo guard who is a reliable 3-point shooter. According to a June 29 report from Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, rival NBA executives believe Chicago Bulls guard Coby White could be a player Los Angeles targets this offseason.
“The Lakers could also look to acquire players via trade, with rival executives believing Chicago’s Coby White could be a target,” Woike wrote. “Moving Talen Horton-Tucker, a player whose ball-dominant skills are viewed by rival scouts as being redundant with the Lakers’ stars, could be a way to upgrade to suit the Lakers’ needs.”
White will make $7.4 million in 2022-23. He signed a four-year, $24.1 million rookie scale contract with the Bulls in July 2019. The UNC product has career averages of 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 195 regular-season games while shooting 41.3% from the field, 36.5% from beyond the arc and 85.1% from the free-throw line.
The Lakers missed the playoffs last season despite having James, Davis and Russell Westbrook. James, who averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists, is eligible for a two-year, $97 million extension on August 4. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023 if he plays out his current contract.