Domantas Sabonis was ‘very surprised’ that Malik Monk re-signed with Kings

Domantas Sabonis was ‘very surprised’ that Malik Monk re-signed with Kings

Guard Malik Monk re-signed with the Sacramento Kings for below-market value over a week before free agency tipped off this summer.

Monk, who finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Minnesota’s Naz Reid , inked a four-year, $78 million extension in June. Kings teammate Domantas Sabonis didn’t think Monk returning was in the cards.

“I was actually very surprised (he stayed),” Sabonis said at a basketball camp he was hosting in Rocklin, Calif., according to James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com. “I was talking to him a lot during the year and I thought we really lost him, but I’m happy he stayed.

“He’s one of the most important players on our team, you know. And having him on and off the court with us has helped us a lot these last two years.”

Monk’s new contract will begin at $17.4 million–only 10.2 percent of the cap–with a $21.6 million player option (9.5 percent) in 2027-28, according to Spotrac.

In today’s NBA climate, that’s a bargain for Monk, coming off a career year with Sacramento. He averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, shooting 44.3 percent from the floor, 35.0 percent from 3-point range and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line in 72 games.

For perspective, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro , who won the Sixth Man of the Year award, inked a $130 million extension–including $10 million in unlikely bonuses–two summers ago. While Herro hasn’t necessarily lived up to that contract, it’s not an albatross contract … yet it’s still over $50 million more than what Monk, arguably a better player, is expected to make for the next four years .

With the cap continuing to rise, that should only going to look better for Sacramento.

Monk is a highly ignitable spark plug that will only be more crucial to Sacramento’s ceiling with DeMar DeRozan ‘s arrival. While he can play off-ball, Monk is an incredibly underrated secondary playmaker and finisher around the rim. If he can engineer Sacramento’s bench units as well as he has each of the last two years, the Kings could look to surprise in a very deep, competitive Western Conference–should they stay healthy.

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