2 best players Kings must re-sign in 2024 NBA free agency

Malik Monk put together a phenomenal season. There’s a reason why he was the betting favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award until he got hurt on March 29th. He averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game and 5.1 assists per game while maintaining solid efficiency (52.6 effective field goal percentage). His per-36 minutes were even better.

Monk may not have started any games this year, but he has closed plenty. That’s because of the immense scoring punch he’s provided and how well he fits next to Sacramento’s two stars. His shooting and scoring prowess works great with Sabonis’ unselfish style and passing acumen. He also allows Fox to take a step back on the offense when the sixth man is scoring at ease.

He’s made big shots all year long and flipped games on its head. He has earned himself a pay raise over the $10 million he earned this season. The problem is that Sacramento could get outbid for Monk’s services. He is poised to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

The Kings do have some tools to keep him. He is an early-bird free agent since he was under contract in Sacramento for two seasons. The CBA states that players who fit that criteria can have their team go over the salary cap and retain that player if they sign him to a deal that is up to 175% of that player’s salary the previous season. They could also go over the cap to re-sign him at a deal that approaches the mid-level exception.

There is a world where they keep Monk at around $17 million and duck the luxury tax without sacrificing a chunk of their roster to do so. That’d be a major win for Sacramento. It would be tough, but the Kings need Monk. They have to do all they can to make that a reality.

Alex Len, Center

A glaring spot on Sacramento’s roster for next season at the moment is their backup center spot. Sabonis doesn’t miss many games, appearing in 161 of a possible 164 games over the past two seasons. for the Kings the past two seasons.

Still, the Kings need to find a capable backup big man. With their salary cap situation, it might be best to go bargain-bin hunting to fill that spot. That could mean running it back with Alex Len.

Len has been fine for Sacramento the past two seasons. He doesn’t do anything flashy, but he allows them to play a similar style when Sabonis gets his rest. The Kings had a +13.9 net rating when Len shared the floor with Fox while Sabonis was off of it this year, via Cleaning the Glass. A lot of is against bench units, and Fox is surely carrying the bulk of the burden there. But Len’s job is not to mess up those minutes. He did that.

The Kings have a lot going for them, but now they have to keep the positive momentum going. Retaining Monk and Len would go a long way to doing just that.