There were very few bright spots for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 2021-22 campaign. They entered the season with high expectations, one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship. Those proved to be too lofty, as the Lakers didn’t even qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Roster upheaval is sure to occur this offseason as the franchise will try and figure out a way to get back into the playoff picture. Head coach Frank Vogel has already been fired, which seems a bit unfair as he wasn’t the one who constructed the roster yet he is taking the fall for it.
This season’s roster was a mismatched one that was never able to gel. Despite all of the negativity surrounding the team, one good thing to come out of it was the play of Malik Monk.
Monk spent the first four seasons of his career with the Charlotte Hornets, where he had some ups but plenty more downs. He was suspended in February of 2020 for violating the league’s drug policies. Coaching and lineup changes led to differing roles, which also attributed to Monk’s struggles.
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Yet, he had the best season of his career, to date, during the 2020-21 campaign. He averaged 11.7 points and knocked down 40.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. The improved performance came at a great time, as Monk was entering free agency for the first time in his career. Unbeknownst to him, he would meet an ice-cold market.
Monk has spoken about how he received no offers outside of one from the Lakers. He made the most of his chance in Los Angeles, putting together a career season. Monk scored 13.8 points per game to go along with 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He had the best shooting season of his career, making 47.3 percent overall and 39.1 percent from the 3-point line.
While he would like to be back with the Los Angeles Lakers and they would love to have him, at the end of the day, money talks. Los Angeles can only offer Malik Monk a deal that pays him $6.2 million, while he is expected to command a deal up to three or four years and as much as $32-45 million.
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One of the teams that the Lakers have to worry about poaching Monk is the New York Knicks. New York had a disappointing season themselves and will be looking to reshape their roster in the offseason.
“The team to watch, if he is going to leave the Lakers which he obviously should, is the Knicks,” the GM said. “They had interest in him last year, and some of it might depend on what happens with Evan Fournier, do they keep him or move him? But that is a team that needs talent, needs shooters and Monk will be a good value even at the mid-level.”
New York has an excellent group of young players they are looking to continue building up this offseason. At 24-years old, Monk would fit perfectly into that timeline. While Evan Fournier was mentioned, the role the team is planning for Immanuel Quickley is actually what will directly impact Monk.
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Should Quickley move into the starting lineup, there will be a need for a scoring spark plug and secondary ball-handler, which Quickley has been the first two seasons of his career. That is a role Monk could thrive in and would be similar to what he was asked to do for a majority of the season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The New York Knicks already have a logjam in their backcourt, so they will need to alleviate them before pursuing Malik Monk. But, the fit does make sense, especially if veterans such as Fournier, Derrick Rose, or Alec Burks are moved on from this offseason.
