When it comes to fan favorites on the Sacramento Kings, bench legend Malik Monk has to be high up the list. The Sactown faithful love this guy. Despite that, the time may be coming for the Kings to move on from Monk and make room for younger stars as part of the rebuild process.
Monk has been in the league since 2017, first playing with the Hornets before moving on to the Lakers and now the Kings. He's been a Sacramento regular since 2022, meaning he was there for the all too brief Beam Team era as well as the complete collapse that came after that short run.
There's no doubt that Monk is one of the best bench guys in the league. He was close to winning the Sixth Man of the Year award when Naz Reid won it. Alongside Bobby Portis, Monk was a finalist for that award in 2024. A lot of fans, most of whom live in Sacramento, thought Monk was robbed.
After De'Aaron Fox left for San Antonio, the Kings tried to run Monk as their starting point guard. It did not go well. Some players are not meant to be starters, and he is most assuredly one of them. His hustle and explosiveness off the bench have made him a fan favorite in Sactown.
Monk's time in Sacramento may have run its course
Over the last year and a half, the Kings have gone through a lot of changes. That includes a new general manager, a new head coach, and several updates to the roster. There are more coming as Sacramento works on how to trade DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis.
Those moves are likely to include Monk. He has two years left on his current contract, worth over $20 million per season, with the last year being a player option. The Kings are in a serious situation with the salary cap and apron penalties, and moving Monk's salary would help.
There's also the issue of roster making roster space for new players. Sacramento has G Leaguers to call up, free agents to sign, and three draft picks this year. If Monk doesn't fit the rebuild anymore, the front office might need to move him to create room for players who do make sense on the roster.
Attempts to move Monk in the past haven't gone well, likely because the asking price was too high. Now that the Kings are more incentivized to move him thanks to their salary cap problems, a trade is more likely. It's safe to say that the fans will not like this one if it goes down.
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