Malik Monk has found himself on the Sacramento Kings. Because both he and the Kings have had success together, there is a certain sentiment that could certainly help the Kings' chances of keeping him. Alas, it's as they say - Money talks.
Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes explained why he doesn't believe it's likely that Monk will elect to stay with the Kings this offseason.
"Malik Monk has never been better positioned to cash in than he is right now. Expect him to take advantage of his situation as one of the top-scoring threats available in free agency.
"That's bad news for the Sacramento Kings, who can only offer their elite sixth man $78 million over four years unless they make major changes throughout the roster to free up cap space.
If that's not enough, Hughes also explained who exactly could go after Monk that could potentially outbid the Kings for his services.
"The scoring-starved Orlando Magic should be in the mix for his services, with the desperate Detroit Pistons also likely to be interested. The Toronto Raptors have a void at the 2, and the San Antonio Spurs should be chasing anyone who can both shoot and pass. All of them will run the risk of spending big on a player coming off a career season in a contract year, but the competition is still going to juice up Monk's price well beyond Sacramento's range."
This is hardly the first time Monk's name has been linked to the Magic. The bottom line is that while there will be limited money this offseason, teams will have to find ways to spend it. Monk is not of the same caliber as Paul George or Klay Thompson, but he's played well enough that the four-year, $78 million contract the Kings could offer him may be seen as a discount if he agreed to it.
Who could potentially replace Malik Monk?
Scoring sparks in the second unit are a good asset to have, but it's not like they are diamonds in the rough. While the Kings would likely prefer to keep Monk, they have options for who they can replace him with. One way is through the draft.
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto noted that Monk's free agency may influence who the Kings select with the No. 13 pick.
"With Malik Monk set to enter unrestricted free agency and potentially price himself out of Sacramento, the Kings could look at several guards here, including Duke’s sharpshooter Jared McCain and Providence’s stout defender and emerging offensive threat Devin Carter."
The Kings will also have the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception to offer any free agent this season, which could come in handy for a possible temporary Monk replacement. That kind of money can snare a rotation player on the free market. As far as who though is anyone's guess and will be up to the Kings.
In a perfect world, the Kings would re-sign Monk for the most they can give him and use the non-taxpayer's MLE on another player to round out their playoff rotation. While nothing has been set in stone, the Kings may have to prepare for a life without their sixth man.