Throughout the offseason, the Sacramento Kings were trying to trade Malik Monk to make room for Russell Westbrook. Fortunately, that didn't happen as Monk has been incredibly productive in the first few games of the season, while Westbrook has been largely quiet.
After choosing free agency over remaining with the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook spent most of the summer looking for a new team. The only problem was that no franchise appeared to be interested in the services of the former All-Star, MVP, and triple-double king.
The only team looking to sign Russ was the Kings. It was a weird situation as Sacramento has been overloaded with guards for a long time. They didn't really need another one, but signing him became the focus of the front office. They finally brought him on board just before the season started.
Originally, the plan was reportedly to trade Malik Monk to make room on the roster for Westbrook. That turned out to be unnecessary as the Kings managed to keep Monk while still signing Russell. It was a good thing, too, as Monk has been incredible so far.
Malik Monk anchors the Kings' secondary
So far, Monk has had a solid start to the 2025-2026 season after returning from his illness. He's averaging 18 points per game with a field goal average of 53.1% and a three-point average of 63.9%. On top of that, he has three rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and four blocks.
Westbrook is averaging 10.3 points per game with averages of 45% and 38.9%. He also has 13 rebounds, 11 assists, one block, and two steals. Keep in mind that the majority of those numbers came in game three against the Los Angeles Lakers, when he started to find a rhythm.
That's why you have to give Westbrook the benefit of the doubt. He's played three games with a new team that is still trying to establish its own identity. It's going to take him time to get into a groove. But if Monk wasn't there as well, the early stages of this season would be an absolute train wreck.
If the Kings have completed their original plan of moving Monk to make room for Westbrook, Malik's production as the anchor of the second line would be gone. As such, the first few games of 2025-2026 would have been devastating losses instead of being competitive, regardless of the outcome.