What Malik Monk RETURNING Means For the Sacramento Kings

What Malik Monk RETURNING Means For the Sacramento Kings

[Applause] [Music] oh good morning everybody you know what time it is Malik monk has returned to the Sacramento Kings four years $78 million an opt out after your three excuse me an option in year three I’m used to saying opt out an option in year three Malik Monk Is back with the Sacramento Kings the biggest offseason Domino has fallen it has fallen the Kings Way it’s party time everybody 9169 91320 91699 1320 if you want to jump in here pretend Malik Mon’s listening what do you want to say to Malik now that he’s going to make his make Sacramento his home for at least the next three seasons hopefully well beyond that good morning James Hammer happy Friday happy Friday Kyle this is a big one man this is just it takes the off season and just tilts it in a totally different way this is one of the biggest moments in uh King’s free agent history over the last probably two decades and it feels so different because this doesn’t happen this is a player who chose not to explore free agency didn’t even want to take a look didn’t even take a peek allegedly I’m sure he had no right no I’m sure he had an idea of what was out there yep but did not even push this did not even wait to see hey let’s see how the board plays out and see if there’s some team that’s going to make me this offer that I can’t refuse said no don’t love what’s out there not here screw it I’m going back to Sacramento this is where he wants to be he takes the 4year $78 million contract with the option after year three yep and he puts the Kings in position to know exactly where they’re at financially to know exactly where they’re at come NBA Draft time yep and they can Now operate with the rest of through the rest of this offseason because how much how much have we talked about the offseason for the Kings this year and so much of it has been well we got to see what happens with Malik yeah well do they draft Rob Dillingham well if if Malik doesn’t resign maybe they go get DeAnthony M well if Malik doesn’t resign maybe but now now they know now they can operate like a functioning franchise that knows exactly what their core is moving forward not only this offseason but for the next three and four years we’ve talked about building a program we’ve talked about continuity we’ve talked about sustainability and that’s what this provides Kyle you said the the word there it’s core we now know what the core is the core is dearon Fox it’s damis sabonis it’s Keegan Murray and it’s Malik mon and now you move forward with that group knowing that they’re all under contract long term and this is the moment where you add the pieces that support these guys the right way because this is a group that you’ve chosen as your as your core yes and I I think it’s a a very crazy moment because like look there were plenty of murmurs early in the day that it wasn’t going to go this way yeah that that there was potential for him to have had a much bigger like quot qu unquote offer that’s not an official offer but a theoretical offer theoretical landing spot that would have paid him upwards of 20 million more than what the Kings could could afford and to see it shift so quickly um just absolutely spectacular and now like look this is this is a moment that you’re waiting for because again we’re five days before the NBA draft we’re you know we nine days before the opening of free agency somebody had too much coffee and don’t today that’s the second time they’ve sprinted by our windows I believe it’s Kevin yeah same Kevin the intern he’s flying around he is flying our friends at65 yeah so I think it’s one of those moments where like everything is falling into place what else can you do and you just hit a home run this is a home run yep not only did you get Malik monk back in the fold but you got Malik monk back in the fold for a very reasonable price yes like this is it’s like 12 133% of the salary cap and it’s going to be that for the entirety of the of the deal salary cap is going up 10% every year Malik Monk’s contract’s going up 8% so you’re actually saving a little bit every year so this is one of those moments where you got a really good player a guy who ended up being your your third best player last season and now you’ve got him under uh under contract for the next four years and I think it also means something that he signed the four-year deal with the option after year three instead of the three-year deal with the option after year two that was that was pretty surprising because now this is a this is a fullblown commitment here this isn’t this isn’t like yeah I’ll take the two years because that’s what I can get but I’m gonna I’m gonna look elsewhere after after year two I want to see if there’s a real bag out there for me after year two like no man he’s going three years then he has the option and we’ve talked about what that means if things go sideways he has some stab Insurance thank you that that that he has $20 million right there if he has the three worst years of his career he he knows for sure he has that in the bag in that fourth season yep but also if he continues to average 15 and five U maybe he gets up to 16 17 maybe he’s averaging five and a half six now all of a sudden hey maybe there’s a little bit more money down the road after year three for him which would be super welld deserved by that point uh but I do think it’s it’s it’s a testament to what the Kings have provided Monk and what what he wanted from this free agency that he signed the the four-year contract with Sacramento yeah I think there’s something else that’s hiding in here right so we know that this deal is is done because his agent uh spoke to to Adrian wood norowski right that’s that’s where the report comes it’s very clear Jeff Schwarz literally names him and and Malik’s brother who who’s part of this picture as well um but I think this is the point I’m going to pull out that I’m not sure that everyone is caught that’s an agent reporting to to a reporter he’s telling a reporter what’s happening there is no mention of Malik monk as a starter yes there is no demand or or like very pointed the Kings have have chosen to give Malik monk the op I mean the starting job as part of the deal there’s none of that so he’s going to come back and like we don’t know what his role might be it could be a starter but I also think that there wasn’t that element of this where he demanded something that maybe isn’t what’s best for him maybe that what’s best for him is to be in the position he’s in and to like take off and be this player for the next you know eight years of his career 10 years of his career yeah and if you’re if you’re Malik you’re you’re looking at a situation in Sacramento where you’re getting to play it’s not like he’s the fourth guy off the bench he is the sixth man he is in closing lineups and I know every player wants to start every player in NBA history has wanted to be in the starting lineup yep that’s just that that’s just I want to be in the starting lineup th% yeah th% I was at at 957 I was a producer and like a backup I wanted to be a starter like that’s just I I loved my job I love what I did but hey you know what you always want to be but if you’re if you’re monk in this situation you’re looking at the situation you’re in basketball wise like man I averaged career highs in points and assists coming off the bench I get to play with one of my one of my friends and dearn fox one of my best friends we played college together uh this place has turned my career around and also I’m going to make upwards of between 17 and 20 million for each of the next three years to do that mhm so good money in a good basketball situation and I think you’re looking at his injury against Dallas in the last couple weeks of the season and he’s going hey I was the missing piece here we’re a playoff team if I’m healthy oh I totally agree and when you look at the West it’s like yeah that’s a that’s a that’s a tough West but then you see the Kings going hey three and one against against Denver they beat Minnesota in Minnesota two and one they they um they split with Dallas split with Dallas split with OKC I I right so you’re look at you’re going man you know what I I could I could go to Orlando or Detroit or Toronto or whatever and okay maybe I’m starting but is that is that the best spot for me um I I I we talked about this the other day the possible Landing spots and it’s like taking taking the purple glasses off objectively Sacramento was the best basketball spot for him and it’s not like he’s getting paid pennies it’s like he’s not making any money here he’s doing fine D his pay yeah he doing fine yeah I mean he made 9.9 Million last year he he 175% raise because that’s the best the Kings could do yeah um but that’s a healthy raise over what and let’s just go back two years earlier when he was making a league minimum deal or like a oneye $5 million deal or whatever it was with the Lakers like this is a Payday this is a huge Payday for him and you know I this is not like when the king signed Anthony Tolliver to like a three-year $24 million deal and he literally made more money in his first year than he had in the first six years of his career combined that’s not what this is but this is a highlevel basketball player that was a top a top pick he was a lottery pick when he came out in the draft he didn’t it didn’t work out in Charlotte and he felt like he was almost out of the league he gets to the Lakers and it’s like okay like this is cool but the Lakers don’t have any money he stumbles into Sacramento and to play with with Fox and just finds like an NBA home and I think so much of the NBA is opportunity and finding the right fit not just for a team looking for the right fit but a player to find the right spot for him and I think that rigning Mike Brown was a huge part of this I think it adds the stability that the kings are looking for and I’d also say that what happened in Detroit it’s very possible Detroit it was hot on the trail of Malik monk it’s very possible that that situation going sideways in the last days with them firing Monty Williams it’s possible that played a part in this decision we’ll ask him down the road but there’s a good possibility that it was like okay well maybe I’ll listen to Detroit maybe I could be the guy who who can glue this young core together and then it’s like okay look you guys just you won 14 games and then you just squandered another $65 million on on the next crazy on your head coach and you fired him and now you don’t have a head coach and now you’re talking about young like that whole situation got weird quick and I think that could have played a role in what happened here and and sort of where Malik decided to go I think this is a great sign for Sacramento too and just kind of the direction they’re going it’s the opposite of what we see with Detroit Detroit has no idea Detroit is just stacking young former lottery picks whether they’re their own or some other teams and going yeah hey maybe they’ll be good eventually what are we doing in head coach I don’t know let’s throw a bunch of money in Mone Williams that didn’t work out after year one oh let’s can him in the middle to end of June and then reshuffle the deck that’s insane yeah but if this was LE let’s say all things are the same with Malik in his role and what he does statistically but this is the 2017 Kings I don’t think he’s coming back oh no it’s very possible he’s not coming back right it’s a great used Sacramento as a springboard to go elsewhere and continue my basketball Journey yeah and that’s not that’s not there I I am the mind and you just said it earlier there was very likely if he waited until was it July 6th yep if he had waited till July 6 there would probably be 20 plus million on the table for him annually yeah I think if he would have waited until July 30th um June 30th when when free agency opened that there at least could have been an offer closer to 25 like that’s what this felt like it was going and this but this does secure him here yes and I think it it’s a place he’s comfortable he to golf and it’s the right place for at the right time and he also and he also on top of this we might blow through the break we’ll see how this goes okay um on top of on top of this though it’s it’s knowing that okay maybe I wait till till June 30th and maybe there’s an offer out there that I like maybe there’s not but you know we’ll kind of see I could always come back to the Kings but by then there is no certainty for them in the draft going into free agency where now all of a sudden this team this Championship Contender that you’re trying to build it makes it a lot harder because they’re waiting on Malle and so by doing it now he makes that that building effort a lot easier oh yeah I think he just he really just cleared the runway yeah that’s what he did all right we’re not going to blow it very quick

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