Kings’ Malik Monk Feared To Have Suffered Sprained MCL

Monk got hurt on Friday (3/29) against the Dallas Mavericks. 

Monk has appeared in 72 games for the Kings this season. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field, 35.0% from beyond the arc and 82.9% from the free-throw line. 

The Kings lost to the Mavericks, dropping to 42-31 on the season. They are in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. 

During an interview with NBA reporter Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Monk said he would “love” to re-sign with the Kings this summer. The Kentucky product becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

“Depends on what we do in the postseason, as well,” Monk said. “But I’d love to be here, man. Got comfortable here. Made a lot of new friends, met a lot of great people. The city loves me. I love the city. So, yeah, I’d love to come back.”

The Kings signed Monk to a two-year, $19.4 million contract in the summer of 2022. Monk has outplayed his contract and will command more money this offseason. 

“I feel like the organization needed a turnaround,” Monk said. “I feel like they needed new faces here. I feel like I could bring an energy that Sac had been waiting for since (DeMarcus Cousins) left. And my homie is here, my best friend here. Fox. This was going to be the most comfortable fit for me. Because leaving Los Angeles, a big city, coming here slows everything down. Slow pace. Now I can just focus on my craft. It’s been working for me.”

“He’s extremely important to what we’re trying to build,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said. “There’s zero question in my head. We 100 percent want him back. He’s the player he is mainly because of him. But I also feel that you have to be in situations that can help get the most out of you. And I feel like this situation that he has here, the sky’s the limit. We’re only going to get better and he has had a lot to do with the growth of this franchise.”