West Contenders Emerge as Favorites to Land Kings' Malik Monk in Offseason Trade

Aug 4, 2025 10:46 PM EDT

The Sacramento Kings entered the offseason as a team expected to begin a rebuild by many around the NBA but that has not been the case thus far.

Instead, the Kings have elected to keep their core of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine together and they have also made some notable additions this summer to chase a playoff spot next season.

Feb 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) and forward DeMar DeRozan (10) and forward Keegan Murray (13) walk up the court during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Golden 1 Center. — Source: © Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Sacramento began their summer by selecting Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud in the 2025 draft and they then signed Dennis Schroder in free agency to fill the void at their point guard position after they traded De’Aaron Fox last season.

With the Kings making moves to upgrade their roster, they have also had multiple players become the subject of trade rumors, including Malik Monk who is coming off the best season of his NBA career.

December 1, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) dribbles the basketball against San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. — Source: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

According to Bovada, the Golden State Warriors are the favorite (+250) to land Monk from the Kings this offseason with the Los Angeles Lakers having the second-best odds (+300).

They are then followed by the Detroit Pistons (+500), Toronto Raptors (+650), Dallas Mavericks (+750) and Milwaukee Bucks (+2000).

For Monk, he is coming off a breakout campaign that saw him average a career-high 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the field and 32.5% from three.

Of course, the 27-year-old guard benefitted from the Kings trading Fox at the trade deadline last season as he became their new starting point guard but with them looking to upgrade their roster this summer, he has become the subject of trade rumors.

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga operates with the ball during his team’s game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Jan. 12, 2024. — Source: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

For the Warriors, Monk would likely be a key piece of a potential sign-and-trade deal for Jonathan Kuminga, which has made them the favorite to land him.

On the other side, the Lakers have also emerged as one of the favorites as Monk would give them a massive scoring boost off the bench.

Either way, it appears as though Monk’s time in Sacramento may be coming to an end as the Kings are reportedly looking to move him after his career-best season as they look to make more upgrades to their roster.