NBA Free Agency kicks off on June 30th, and Sacramento Kings fans will have all eyes on Malik Monk. Monk is hitting Unrestricted Free Agency, and the Kings will be limited in what they can offer to keep Monk in Sacramento. Due to Early Bird Rights, the Kings are allowed to exceed the cap to re-sign Monk, but are limited to an offer equaling around $78 million over 4 years. Teams with cap space have no such limitations. For months now we’ve discussed the most alluring free agent destinations that could entice Monk, such as the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.
Monk made comments in his exit interview about how money alone doesn’t mean you’re in a good situation:
“It’s big because I can go somewhere else with a lot more money and be in a worse situation. So, you never know,” said Monk. “I have a great agent that’s going to do his job. I think my job is done. I did what I needed to do this year, and it’s going to play out. I think it’s going to play out in the right way.”
Due to those comments we’ve mostly dismissed the Detroit Pistons as a threat in free agency. But reporters around the Pistons are still expecting Detroit to try. In a recent mailbag The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III listed Monk as one of the main free agents he thinks the Pistons would pursue:
As for other realistic free-agent options, I think Detroit goes heavily after the likes of Malik Monk, Nic Claxton and Gary Harris. Monk feels like someone the Pistons will heavily prioritize due to the team’s need for legitimate 3-point shooting and off-the-dribble shot creation.
Detroit is in a really bad place as a franchise. They have lots of young, unproven talent and an overpaid coach in Monty Williams who clearly was the wrong hire for the team. This summer the Pistons hired Trajan Langdon as their new President of Basketball Operations, and he ousted General Manager Troy Weaver the following day. It’s unclear if Langdon will also dismiss Monty Williams (in the mailbag Edwards puts it at 50-50 if Williams returns), but it wouldn’t surprise anyone outside of the massive salary Detroit would still be paying.
But with a glut of young talent, a ton of cap space, and a new President trying to change the fortunes of the franchise, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Pistons attempt to replicate what the Houston Rockets did last season, overpaying for talented veterans to boost the roster into respectability. Should the Pistons have one or two free agents already committed, the situation in Detroit could quickly become a less bleak situation for Monk to join.
Personally, I still think the odds are in Sacramento’s favor and they’ll ultimately retain Monk. But Detroit wasn’t a team I was worried about at all, and now I’m upgrading them to a team I’m worried about a little.
