Malik Monk, Kings reportedly agree to four-year, $78 million contract

The Kings have ensured that shooting guard Malik Monk will remain in Sacramento after the two sides reportedly agreed to a four-year, $78 million deal. The 26-year-old shooting guard was set to become a free agent on June 30.

Monk has had the best seasons of his seven-year NBA career ever since joining the Kings in 2022. He emerged as one of the game’s best bench players during the 2022-23 season, averaging 13.5 points per game on 44.8% shooting from the field and 35.9% from deep. He added 3.9 assists per game en route to helping the Kings make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Monk continued his improvement this past season. He was third on the team in scoring (15.4 PPG) as he shot 44.3% from the field and 35% from 3-point range. He added 5.1 assists per game to help him finish in second place in a close vote for Sixth Man of the Year.

There were some concerns that the Kings would lose Monk this offseason due to his impending free agency. The four-year, $78 million deal Monk got was the maximum that the Kings could offer due to contractual rules and Sacramento’s salary cap restrictions. Sacramento previously signed Monk to a two-year, $19.4 million contract in 2022.

Monk expressed a desire to remain in Sacramento when questioned by reporters in April. “I came here with one of my best friends [in De’Aaron Fox], turned the organization around and turned the city around,” he said. “The city loves me, and I’ve said before that I love the city. … The emotions are just everywhere right now.”

Now, Monk will remain with the team that revitalized his career. He struggled in the early seasons of his career after the Charlotte Hornets selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, scoring 9.1 points per game over his four seasons with the team that drafted him. He improved though when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers for a one-year stint for the 2021-22 season, scoring 13.8 points per game.

Monk plans to finalize the deal, which includes a player option for the fourth season, when the NBA’s signing moratorium ends on July 6, according to ESPN.

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