Kings Continuing to Shop Monk - Three Possible Reasons Why

Too Many Shooting Guards

Coming into the offseason, it was evident that the Kings had too many guards, especially since they had four shooting guards in Monk, Zach LaVine, Keon Ellis, and Devin Carter. After signing Schröder, they had a starting point guard, b ut still no clear backup point guard to come off the bench.

That would be the role that Westbrook would assume if he joins Sacramento, which would also make it extremely difficult to find playing time for the trio of Monk, Ellis, and Carter. The Kings don't seem likely to trade Ellis, unless they get the sense that he won't resign with the Kings with either an extension or next offseason, and Carter's market is also limited, if not non-existent.

That always left Monk as the odd guard out. He's played the point guard position off and on throughout his time in Sacramento, but him playing the lead guard role last season after the De'Aaron Fox trade didn't work out nearly as well as many in Sacramento hoped.

Money, Money, Money

Coming into the offseason, many thought Monk's contract would be easy to move. With $18.8 million, $20.2 million, and a $21.6 million player option for the 2027-28 season on the books, that seems like a reasonable number for a player that brings both scoring and facilitating off the bench (or as a starter for another team).

But looking at the Kings' future contracts, he's one of just four players on the books for more than two seasons, with the other three being Domantas Sabonis, newly signed Dennis Schröder, and rookie Nique Clifford.

If Scott Perry is valuing flexibility and reshaping the roster as a main goal this offseason, moving off of Monk makes the most sense to not only accomplish that goal, but to also clear the aforementioned playing time issue.

The problem is, the Kings aren't the only team in the league that is trying to keep their long-term contracts to a minimum. Almost every team in the association is hesitant to take on money this offseason that goes past this and n ext season, with a prime example being the Golden State Warriors in what they are looking to get back in the Kuminga sign-and-trade.

Long-Term Vision and

It's also possible that Monk just may not fit into Perry's vision for the type of roster that he's trying to put together for the Kings. There's no denying that Monk is a talented guard, and he's proven to be one of the best players off the bench, but he has a distinct playstyle that can be unpredictable at times.

It's what makes him so fun to watch, but he's not the most efficient player, and while he isn't terrible on defense, he's never going to lead the charge on that end of the floor.

As the Kings look to quickly build a defensive identity, bringing in Westbrook over Monk could help do that. Westbrook isn't the same level of defender he used to be, but with his 6- foot-8 wingspan and trademark athleticism, he's a disruptive defender who can get in the passing lanes to start a one-man fastbreak.

Only time will tell if the Kings are able to pull of a trade for Monk, or if they are able to get any positive return for the electric guard. He seems too good to salary dump or attach an asset to just to move off his contract, especially if the end result is bringing in the 36-year-old Westbrook, but stranger things have happened in the NBA.