Plotting the dream offseason for the Sacramento Kings

Taking advantage of a weakened Western Conference, the Kings burst onto the NBA scene. They ran the best offense we had ever seen at that point, secured third place, and went to the playoffs. 

This season doesn’t look quite like that. The Kings’ record hasn’t really changed. 54 games in, they have a 31-23 winning record, but this time around, that is only good for the eighth seed. 

Other teams in the West got better while the Kings barely changed their roster. After a quiet trade deadline, the Kings have plenty of work to do over the summer. So, let’s look at some moves the Kings would make in a perfect offseason.

The Kings re-sign Monk

The Kings’ three most important players—now and in the near future—are De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan Murray. By now, Malik Monk should be mentioned as a part of the core too, however. 

He is the team’s third-leading scorer and playmaker and averages the most blocks per game, all of which he is doing while coming off the bench. With the Kings, Monk has become everything people thought he could be coming out of college. He can score from all over the court, plays with great energy, and has made huge strides as a playmaker. 

On many other teams in this league, Monk could be a starter, and he certainly earned himself a pay raise in free agency this summer. The Kings should give it to him. Not only is he Fox’s close friend, but he has also become an integral part of their system, and his production would not be easily replaced. He leads the league in 20-point games off the bench, and, among players with at least 25 games played off the bench, only T.J. McConnell averages more assists. 

Plus, the Kings might still make a big move that requires them to move Kevin Huerter. In that case, they would definitely need Monk.