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It’s been a rough start to the 2025-26 season for the Sacramento Kings.
As rumors swirl about who could be on the trade block, guard Malik Monk has been made available, according to Chris Haynes. Over the past few years, Monk has been one of the most reliable sixth men in the NBA, but has fallen out of the Kings’ regular rotation this season.
Monk played just five minutes in the Kings’ win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, and just 14 minutes off the bench in Tuesday night’s 136-127 loss to the Detroit Pistons. He had nine points, one rebound and one assist.
“One thousand percent,” Monk said Sunday when asked if he was confused by the decision to start bringing him off the bench, via the Sacramento Bee. “But it’s not my job to try to figure out why I’m not playing because I deem myself more than the whole, so I’ll just be ready when my name is called.”
Through 24 games this season, Monk’s minutes are down significantly from last year. Monk played over 31 minutes per game in 65 games last season, and this season, his minutes have dropped to barely 23. Along with his minutes, many of Monk’s other numbers have dropped as well. His points per game have fallen from 17.2 to 12.5, and shot attempts have gone from 14.4 to 10.3 so far this season. Monk has suffered in just about every major statistical category across the board.
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Head coach Doug Christie, his coaching staff and the Kings’ front office have made it clear that Monk will not be part of any plans in Sacramento. A once-valued piece in Sacramento, Monk could be out of town within a matter of weeks if not sooner. Monk set new career highs in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks last season. Now, the nine-year veteran has become an afterthought in the Kings’ rotation.
The additions of Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder in the offseason, plus Zach LaVine coming over last season, has had a huge effect on Monk’s value in the eyes of those pulling the strings in Sacramento. Fourth-year guard Keon Ellis has also cut into Monk’s minutes and seems to be the preference over Monk moving forward.
With Westbrook and Schroder playing roughly 29 minutes each night and LaVine around 32, there just aren’t enough backcourt minutes to go around, which has resulted in the drop off for Monk. Prior to Haynes’ report, it had been rumored that Sacramento could look to unload some veterans from the roster. The first names that came to mind were Westbrook, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, due to a reported “disconnect” between Christie’s staff and some veteran players.
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Sacramento fell to 7-23 after Tuesday’s loss, which is good for last place in the Western Conference. If the Kings are looking to move toward a youth movement, they’ve got a ways to go and could be quite busy over the next two months.