It would have made sense if an NBA team in need of some offensive firepower in the backcourt gave Malik Monk a big contract this offseason. One of the top unrestricted free agents on the market, Monk was viewed as the exact type of bucket getter who could end up commanding big money.
As it turns out, Monk isn’t going anywhere. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Sacramento Kings took advantage of the exclusive negotiating window teams have with their own free agents to give Monk a 4-year deal worth $78 million, which he intends to sign.
ESPN Sources: Free agent G Malik Monk intends to sign a four-year, $78 million deal — including a player option — to return to the Sacramento Kings. Monk had career-bests of 15 points and five assists on his way to the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year runner-up. pic.twitter.com/J8KuOwPl0H
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2024
Monk is coming off of the most productive season of his career as a member of the Kings, one which saw him finish as the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 assists per game, both of which were the highest marks of his career, and was an important part of head coach Mike Brown’s rotation despite coming off the bench in every game he played this season.
After spending the first four years of his career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets and making a pit stop in Los Angeles as a member of the Lakers, Monk joined the Kings on a 2-year deal last offseason, where he was reunited with one of his teammates in college at the University of Kentucky, De’Aaron Fox. Now, he’s getting the chance to cash in on how his stint in Sacramento has gone up to this point.