Uncommon Knowledge
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NBA Free Agency doesn’t officially begin until June 30, but this year’s offseason has already been full of moves.
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First, the Indiana Pacers agreed to a max contract extension with Pascal Siakam. Then, the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder agreed on a trade to send Alex Caruso to the West’s No. 1 team from this past season. And now, the Sacramento Kings have agreed to a deal with Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Malik Monk.
The deal is for four years and worth $78 million, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’s the maximum amount of money the Kings were able to offer Monk.
Monk, 26, had a breakout year in his second season in Sacramento. The former No. 11 overall pick in 2017 averaged career-highs in points (15.4) and assists (5.1) while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 35 percent from deep, and 82.9 percent from the free throw line. He was a key cog for a Sacramento team that just missed out on a playoff berth, losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in the second and final round of the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Kings finished 10 games above .500 in the regular season.
The Kings had full intentions of bringing Monk back, and wasted no time in making it a reality. As for Monk, he earns by far the biggest contract of his career after spending time with the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers across his seven-year career.
Monk joined the Lakers on a one-year deal two offseasons ago in the hopes of earning himself a nice payday the following free agency. However, he had to settle for a two-year deal worth just under $20 million as he aimed to raise his value in Sacramento.
Over the last two years, he’s done just that.
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Monk finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting and 11th in Most Improved Player voting in the 2022-23 season. Then, this past year, he finished second in Sixth Man of the year voting, losing to Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid by just two first-place votes. He also finished tied for 12th in Clutch Player of the Year voting.
Monk will now remain in Sacramento for foreseeable future, as he looks to help them get back to the postseason. The Kings made a surprise postseason run in 2023, losing in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in seven games. Before that, their last postseason appearance was in the 2005-06 season.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.