NBA free agency is well underway and the Kings have plenty to show for it.
Sacramento brought back Malik Monk on a four-year, $78 million contract, re-signed Alex Len, acquired six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade, and sent Chris Duarte and Harrison Barnes to the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.
Sacramento is certainly hoping these deals will help the team return to the NBA playoffs next season, and here's what some league experts thought of the moves:
Malik Monk: A
“Malik Monk's return is a great outcome for the Kings, who could have lost out to a team with cap space who was actively pursuing last season's Sixth Man Award runner-up…
“In some ways, Sacramento was lucky that no other teams actively tried to acquire Monk. Monk ranks as the 10th most valuable free agent over the next three seasons based on his prolific scoring off the bench and his age (26 years old). The Kings deserve credit for making Monk the best offer they could, including a player option for the final season of their contract, much like the Lakers did last year when they acquired restricted free agent Austin Reaves, as reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.” -Kevin Pelton
DeMar DeRozan: C
“Usually the team that acquires the best player in a trade wins big. DeRozan is not only the best player in this draft, but he also improves Sacramento's talent pool. The fans in the city are already welcoming him, which is great, but the question is whether DeRozan will fit in with the Kings. First, acquiring DeRozan would add a weaker defender to a team that already struggles on that side of the court.
“Second, DeRozan is a great isolation scorer in the mid-range, but playing to his strengths takes the ball out of the hands of other good shot creators like De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk (who the Kings re-signed this summer). … Sacramento is going to be a good team this season and the addition of DeRozan makes it even better. The Kings are better off with this trade, but it's not a meaningful one.” – Kurt Helin
DeMar DeRozan: D-minus
“This trade reveals the impatience of an organization that didn't need to rush into buying the wrong player. [De’Aaron] Fox and [Domantas] Sabonis is still relatively young. Keegan Murray has two years left on his rookie contract. There was no need to take a 35-year-old player and sign him to a high-risk contract that doesn't really address their needs. … The most likely outcome here is that the Kings are still worse than their 2023 team. Even if they get better, their defense presents a hard ceiling for championship fairness. This is the kind of thing you do when you only need one DeMar DeRozan to be in serious title contention. The Kings aren't.” – Sam Quinn
DeMar DeRozan: C-plus
“Chicago received two second-round picks along with Chris Duarte, and the Spurs entered the deal as the third team, acquiring Harrison Barnes. It's a three-year, $74 million deal for DeRozan, but the price tag for Barnes and Duarte makes it a bit of a weak fit with Sacramento.” – Chinmay Vaidya
Malik Monk: B Plus
“While this deal is by no means a .500-foot home run, Monk is a great backup veteran in this league and is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Sure, the Kings may not be able to afford to upgrade at the third star or wing starter position, but the franchise could keep Monk on a contract that could easily be traded.
“The deal will likely be viewed as a discount, as Monk, entering the third year of his contract, will likely remain one of the league's top reserve players. If Monk can continue to be the driving force behind the offense like he has been the past two years, fans and the Kings front office likely won't be too concerned about a year-to-year commitment to the guard.” – Jonathan Lurenski
Malik Monk, Alex Len: A minus
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