The Golden State Warriors are the odds-on favorites to land Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk.
Offshore sportsbook Bovada put the Warriors at +250 ahead of Monk’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, who are coming in with the second-best odds at +300.
Rounding up the short betting list are the Detroit Pistons (+500), Toronto Raptors (+650), Dallas Mavericks (+750) and Milwaukee Bucks (+2000).
The Kings have offered Monk, in addition to a lottery-protected first-round pick, in their latest offer for the Warriors’ disgruntled restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
The Sticking Point of Warriors-Kings Talk
The Warriors are open to landing Monk in the deal. But it’s the pick that has become the sticking point.
“If that pick didn’t convey, then the Warriors would get the least favorable of the Kings or San Antonio’s first-round pick in 2031. Those protections have been the primary sticking point, team sources said, as the Warriors have insisted that the first-rounder be unprotected. Thus, the stalemate,” Amick wrote.
Aside from the pick as a sticking point, landing Monk in the deal will also force the Warriors to move a key piece of their rotation, likely Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, according to Amick, to stay under the first apron.
So, the Kings’ offer is essentially just the protected first-round pick. Still, it was better than their initial offer of Devin Carter, Dario Saric and two second-round picks.
Malik Monk is a Win-Now Player
GettyMalik Monk can provide instant offense off the bench for the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s reluctance to play Kuminga is due to his inexperience and his more individualistic style of play.
If the Warriors land Monk, he can fit seamlessly into Kerr’s rotation as a low-usage player who can knock down shots.
Monk is entering Year 2 of his four-year, $78 million extension with the Kings. He was the runner-up to Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid for the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2023-24 season.
Monk averaged a career-high 17.2 points last season as he stepped into the Kings’ starting lineup following De’Aaron Fox‘s departure to the San Antonio Spurs. The former Kentucky Wildcat made 2.1 3-pointers per game over his last two seasons in Sacramento.
Monk can certainly help the Warriors’ bid to compete in the twilight years of stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. He can play without the ball, unlike Kuminga.
Will the Kings blink and relent to adding an unprotected first-rounder?
Jonathan Kuminga Not Inclined to Return
Getty Jonathan Kuminga wants out of the Golden State Warriors.
Kuminga wants to get out of Golden State, according to Andscape’s senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears. But the Warriors are holding out for a better return package for the former No. 7 pick.
The Warriors have already rejected two offers from the Kings and another one from the Phoenix Suns. The Suns entered the Kuminga sweepstakes, but the Warriors found their offer more underwhelming.
“And then the Suns, I heard, they’re like, offering Royce [O’Neale] and four seconds and Nick Richards,” Spears said on “NBA Today” on July 30. “That’s just not pretty enough.”
The Suns only have three second-round picks available to trade, while they do not have control of their first-round picks until 2031.
After a Zoom call meeting with the Kings’ general manager Scott Perry, assistant general manager BJ Armstrong and coach Doug Christie, Kuminga was convinced to join them, according to Spears.
“He wants to go [to Sacramento],” Spears reported. “The Kings are offering a starting spot, as the power forward, next to Keegan Murray and [Domantas] Sabonis.”
As ESPN’s Shams Charania previously reported, “those are two things (significant playing time and a starting role) that he wants more than anything.”
