The writing has been on the wall that this might be coming for a few weeks, but now it’s official: Malik Monk is leaving the Lakers for the Kings in NBA free agency, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Monk had his best NBA season in his first year in Los Angeles, averaging career-highs of 13.8 points and 2.9 assists on 47.3% shooting over the course of the 2021-22 campaign.
The third-year guard said multiple times over the course of the last few months that he would take less than market value to stay with the Lakers for another season, but the team did not seem prepared to give him even their taxpayer mid-level exception while they prioritized depth at other positions in free agency.