Sacramento Kings officially announce signing of Malik Monk as free agency moratorium ends
The Kings have finalized an agreement with free-agent Malik Monk that will reunite the 24-year-old guard with former Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox.
Sources told The Sacramento Bee that Monk agreed to a two-year, $19 million contract with the Kings when free agency began last week, but the deal couldn’t be completed until the free agency moratorium ended at 9:01 a.m. Wednesday.
“Malik Monk is an elite shooter, fierce competitor and tremendous athlete,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said in a news release. “We’re thrilled to have him join us in Sacramento.”
Monk and Fox starred together at Kentucky in 2016-17, leading the Wildcats to a 32-5 record and an appearance in the Elite Eight. The Charlotte Hornets selected Monk with the No. 11 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, not long after the Kings took Fox with the No. 5 pick.
Monk is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard who will help the Kings improve their shooting around Fox and center Domantas Sabonis. He averaged career highs of 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks in 76 games for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, including 37 starts.
Monk shot a career-best 47.3% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point range and 79.5% at the free-throw line with the Lakers. He shot 40.1% from beyond the arc with the Hornets in 2020-21.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said Monk’s relationship with Fox was a key component in his decision to sign with Sacramento, describing them as “brothers.”
“Him and De’Aaron are extremely close, and they’ve been close since high school, so I would say the overall factor with Fox, their relationship and the friendship they’ve always had, definitely played a big role,” the source said.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 11:45 AM.
