Report: Kings Trying Hard to Move Malik Monk So They Can Sign Veteran

According to a report from Grant Afseth, the Sacramento Kings are working to move shooting guard Malik Monk so that they can sign free agent Russell Westbrook. 

Afseth shared the news via Dallas Hoops Journal, writing: 

"The Sacramento Kings have been ‘trying very hard’ to trade Malik Monk this offseason, but they haven’t found a taker, an NBA source told Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal…The Kings have been trying to trade Monk to open up a spot for Russell Westbrook, who is an unrestricted free agent. Sacramento wants to sign Westbrook and bring the former NBA MVP off the bench as its sixth man behind Dennis Schröder."

The decision to move on from Monk would be a curious one from the Kings as he has developed into a terrific player in Sacramento. Now 27 years old, Monk had the best season of his career in 2024-25, averaging 17.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds. 

Westbrook spent last season with the Denver Nuggets. He appeared in 75 games, starting in 36 of them. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Russ was a key player off the bench. For the season, the longtime point guard averaged 13.3 points a game with 6.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds. 

With Westbrook being nearly 10 years older and not playing as well as Monk did last year, this would seem like a strange move for the Kings. The team might feel that Westbrook's veteran experience would be tremendously valuable. They may also be worried about Monk's four-year, $78 million deal.