Malik Monk is one of the brightest spots for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Monk joined the Lakers back in the summer having few suitors available after a non-memorable stint with the Charlotte Hornets.
Monk’s agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the Lakers pursue the scoring guard relentlessly last offseason, and that’s something could work in favor of the LA franchise next summer.
“We’re very loyal people,” Malik’s brother Marcus told McMenamin. “The Lakers were calling him nonstop once free agency opened. So we don’t forget about that.”
Monk is an important part of the Lakers’ starting unit with his 29 of his 30 appearances in the starting lineup being this season.
He’s averaging career-highs in points and minutes averaging 12.9 points on 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc. He’s taking 10.3 attempts per game, the most in his four-year NBA career.
Monk was selected 11th in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornes. He never found a steady role in the Hornets’ rotation. He joined the Lakers the past summer having also offers by the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks.
He signed for the minimum and he will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The Lakers are in a financial disadvantage, having almost zero cap space to sign the explosive guard.
More specifically, Los Angeles can only offer the mid-level exception worth $6 million. Other teams with cap space or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception could offer him more.
Having a great season, keeping Monk could be complicated for the Lakers. Monk is one of the good stories in the LA franchise this year, and the front office could go the extra mile to sign him.
Russell Westbrook could be the first domino to fall in order to create more space to sign players this season. Brodies’ fit with the current Lakers is at least questionable as the team barely holding on to the ninth seed of the Western Conference.
Several reports suggest that the Lakers could make big moves next offseason in hope of fixing the situation and making the team a legit championship contender next year.
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