The Sacramento Kings have been oddly quiet about Malik Monk this offseason. After previous trade talks, the veteran shooting guard has seemingly been moved to the back burner. Being that he's the fifth-highest-paid player on the team and their most expensive bench guy, the conversation isn't over.
On more than one occasion, the Kings were rumored to be shopping Monk around as part of various trades during the 2025 offseason. Obviously, nothing worked out, as he's still in Sacramento. The general belief is that the Kings' asking price was way too high, making him hard to move.
Rumors about a potential trade continued through the first couple of months of 2025-2026, though they faded away. There was no substantial conversation about moving him at the 2026 trade deadline, either. That being said, the Kings made no substantial trades at that point at all.
Malik Monk and his contract with the Kings
So far, there has been zero speculation about any trades involving Monk this summer. It could be that the Kings have decided to work with him as part of the rebuild. Or they could be taking the same path as Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, and are just running out the clock on his contract.
As it stands, Monk has two years left on his contract. This season is worth slightly over $20 million, making him one of the highest-paid players on the roster. It definitely makes him the highest-paid player on the bench by a wide margin, too.
The final year of his contract in 2026-2027 is worth more than $21.5 million and has a player option. Much like LaVine did this offseason, Monk will have to decide whether to take the money or explore unrestricted free agency. The smart move for him is to take the money and push for a trade.
What will the Kings do with Monk?
Since the Kings are showing no signs of trying to trade Monk right now, they may be planning to actually work with him this year. That would be a drastic improvement over last season. Sacramento could not seem to decide how to use Monk, leaving him out of games as a healthy scratch frequently.
Part of Sacramento's strategy could be getting Monk on the court to raise his profile and his trade value leading into the 2027 deadline. The Kings may want to try to move him when there's less time/money left on his contract in an attempt to get something in return for his departure.
It seems unlikely that head coach Doug Christie has switched gears on Monk and is now fired up to make him a big piece of the active roster. If that is what fans see in the early part of the season, it's part of their larger rebuild strategy and a trade may be on the way.
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