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Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Summary
Before this season, things were looking pretty bleak for the former Kentucky lottery pick. Monk had not earned consistent minutes with the Hornets, and when he did play the results were not promising. Monk showed poor shot selection, struggled to hit shots, and was a clear negative on defense.
This year, Monk looked like a legitimate spark plug off the bench, showing some of the potential that he showed when he was a lottery-level prospect. Monk has real shot-creation ability due to his quickness and his handle, and now is finally converting on those attempts. His eFG% was above-average for his position, according to Cleaning the Glass, and he was especially effective from three, hitting 42% of his attempts. While I'm not sure if I buy that shooting as sustainable, it does show promise that he can be an above-average shooter, and do so on some difficult attempts. He shot poorly at the rim, but has shot okay from there in the past due to his athleticism, and I think he can be an average finisher there.
Defensively, Monk will likely always be a negative, but that hasn't stopped Lou Williams from having an extremely successful career, and Monk is showing he can perform a similar role, but would need to improve his passing to truly hit that level.
Cap Considerations
Monk will be a restricted free agent with a $16 million cap hold and a $7 million Qualifying Offer. If the Hornets do not have interest in bringing back Monk they could refuse to tender him a QO, making him an unrestricted free agent. With Monk's QO being on the slightly higher end, I think there is a possibility this occurs. However, the Hornets may have enough unused cap space that they don't mind if Monk signs the QO. If Monk is re-signed on a multi-year contract, front-loading the contract could be beneficial, as the Hornets have some space now that they may not need.
Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Monk as even teams without cap space could possibly use either of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or possibly even the Room MLE to sign him to an offer sheet. However, Monk being a restricted free agent would greatly lower his interest among teams, as they will worry that the only way to pry him away from Charlotte would be to significantly overpay him.
Potential Teams: Hornets, Thunder, Knicks, Timberwolves, Kings
Predicted Contract: 3-year, $22 million with the Hornets
Actual Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million ($1.7 million cap hit) with the Lakers
Monk signing a one-year minimum contract with the Lakers was one of the more surprising signings of the offseason. The Hornets did not give Monk the Qualifying Offer, and while he reportedly turned down more money elsewhere, it appears that his market was not the high, even as an unrestricted free agent. Monk will look to show he can contribute to winning in Los Angeles, and hope to turn that performance into a bigger contract in 2022, although those offers would likely have to come from a team other than the Lakers, who will only have his Non-Bird Rights.
Last updated: 8/19/2021
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