Free agent guard Malik Monk intends to signal a four-year, $78 million deal — together with a participant possibility — to return to the Sacramento Kings, sources advised ESPN on Thursday night time.
Monk, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Yr runner-up, had a career-best season, averaging over 15 factors and 5 assists, and he avoids free company with the utmost deal obtainable to him to remain in Sacramento.
His brokers, Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk of Excel Sports activities, have been in a position to start negotiations Tuesday with Kings normal supervisor Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox, and Monk intends to signal the brand new deal as soon as the league’s moratorium ends July 6, sources stated.
Preserving Monk permits the group to proceed constructing out the roster with confidence now that he has been retained.
Monk, 26, has resurrected his profession with the Kings and protecting him grew to become a significant offseason precedence. Monk led the NBA in factors and assists off the bench final season and have become one in every of solely two gamers prior to now 25 years to have 1,000 factors and 300 assists as a reserve, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Info.
Monk helped convey the Kings again to the playoffs and play-in in consecutive seasons, ending a 16-year postseason drought. A knee damage price him the ultimate 9 video games of the 2023-24 common season and the play-in event. Monk had 9 25-point video games off the bench for the Kings, probably the most since Eddie Johnson did it for the Kings within the 1986-87 season, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Info.
Monk was the eleventh decide to Charlotte within the 2017 NBA draft, spending 4 seasons with the Hornets earlier than signing a free agent cope with the Los Angeles Lakers for one season in 2021.