Average of 17+4+6! Why can t Monk, 27, trade?

This is the thing. Previously, ESPN news, the Kings discussed a deal with the Warriors during this offseason. The specific content is:

- The Kings gave Monk and the first round pick

- The Warriors gave Kuminga

This move can help the Warriors solve the issue of Kuminga's contract renewal, but the two sides had differences on the first round pick. The Kings only came up with a protected first round pick, while the Warriors hoped that the first round pick would not be protected, and the negotiations between the two sides broke down.

The King wants Kumingga, which is not a secret within the league, but at the same time, the King has been selling Monk, and even Monk's stay or departure is directly related to Westbrook's signing - rumor that only Monk (or Devin Carter) will sign Westbrook if he is traded.

According to Kings Grant Afseth, the Kings are trying to trade Monk "very hard" to make a roster spot for Westbrook, and the Kings have been peddling Monk for months.

Monk joined the Kings in 2022, and helped the Kings to enter the playoffs after 17 years in his first season and was almost elected as the Sixth Man.

However, just two years have passed, and Monk seems to have gone from a "mechanic" to a "burden". So the question is, why is the king in a hurry to trade Monk?

Look at the data first. Last season, Monk played 65 games for the Kings, including 45 starts, averaging 31.6 minutes per game, scoring 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 0.9 steals.

This is the most reused season in Monk's career. His average playing time, starting games, scores, rebounds, assists and steals are the highest in his career.

However, Monk's scoring efficiency has declined, with a shooting percentage of 43.9% last season, a three-point shooting percentage of 32.5%, and a real shooting percentage of only 54.9%, which is the lowest in Muk's past five seasons, and the lowest season in the previous four years has been 56.4%.

Of course, even so, it is still impossible to deny that Monk is indeed capable. The data can also show that last season:

- When Monk is on the court, the Kings can score 117.0 points in a hundred rounds, and 2.5 points in a net victory over his opponent

- When Monk is not on the court, the Kings can only score 112.2 points in a hundred rounds, and 1.8 points in a net loss of

Monk is actually one of the best players in the Kings formation with his core partner. He has scored 3.1 points in a hundred rounds when he is on the same court, and 4.6 points in a hundred rounds when he is on the same court with Drosan.

However, when Monk and Laven were on the same field, the Kings not only couldn't win, but also lost 3.7 points to the opponent in a net round.

substitutability, which is an important reason why the king trades Monk.

There are too many defenders in the Kings lineup who can attack with the ball. DeRozan, Laven and Ellis can all replace Monk.

The Kings also signed Schroeder in the offseason and selected Clifford, a shooting guard from Coloradola University, with the 24th pick in the first round, making the backcourt lineup even more crowded.

and, there is another key reason, Monk's contract.

When joining the Kings in the offseason in 2022, Monk signed a two-year contract of 19.5 million, with an average salary of less than 10 million, which can be said to be of great value for money.

However, during the 2024 offseason, Monk signed a four-year contract of 78 million yuan. There are still three years left in this contract, with annual salary of 18.97 million, 20.19 million, and 21.58 million yuan respectively. The last year is still the player option.

In fact, Monk itself does not have a particularly high premium, but the problem is that the King now has too many big contracts. Xiao Sa has 135 million left for three years, Lavin has 94 million left for two years, and DeRozan has 2 years, and 50 million left for two years.

Schroder signed 44 million in three years this summer. Ellis and Keegan Murray also face renewal in the future, so sending away Monk, the longest contract and the most relatively substitutable, is the best choice.

Here, you might as well take a look at Westbrook.

Westbrook's data handed over with the Nuggets last season was: he played 77 games, averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game, shooting percentage of 44.9%/32.3%/66.1% in three events, and his real shooting percentage was 53.2%.

Better than Monk, although Westbrook has no three-pointers, he has stronger organizational skills, and Westbrook can serve as a substitute without complaints. Most importantly, Westbrook only needs a basic salary, which is directly 15 million yuan from Monk. From this point of view, you probably know why the King wants to replace Monk with Westbrook.

As we said, Monk is actually still capable, and he is at his peak at the age of 27, and averages 17+4+6 games last season, which can prove that he is really not bad.

However, there are too many defenders like him in the league now, and his contract is growing and big, so it is not that easy for the King to dump. Considering that the training camp is about to start, the possibility of those who want to trade this summer is not high. Look at December or before the trading deadline, there may be a big operation.