Kings exit interviews: On Malik Monk’s future, ‘disappointing’ season and more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings held exit interviews Monday with questions and answers ranging from Malik Monk’s future to assessing whether this season was viewed as a disappointment or failure. There’s plenty to unpack. Here are five takeaways from Monday’s availability:

Will Malik Monk be a King next season?

The biggest question heading into the Kings’ offseason is whether Malik Monk, coming off his best season as a professional and officially an unrestricted free agent, will remain in Sacramento. Monk has played his way into more money than the Kings’ front office will be able to offer him, but finances aren’t the deciding factor for him.

“I can go somewhere else with a lot more money and be in a worse situation,” Monk said when asked about potentially cashing in for a big payday. “So you never know. I’ve got a great agent who is going to do his job. I think my job is done, I did what I needed to do this year. I think it’s going to play out the right way.”

Monk did seem to be a bit more somber than usual. Though he joked he was still in the process of waking up with interviews beginning held around 10 a.m. PT. Eventually, he addressed his emotions on the heels of what could be one of the biggest decisions he’s had to make thus far.

“Emotions are everywhere, man,” Monk continued. “I came here with one of my best friends (in De’Aaron Fox), turned the organization around and turned the city around. The city loves me and I’ve said before that I love the city. So yeah, man, the emotions are just everywhere right now. That’s something I have to deal with being an NBA player, so I’ll be all right.”

While he was managing emotions and seemingly undecided on his future, he answered directly when asked if he’d want to be in a Kings jersey next season.

“Definitely,” Monk said without much hesitation.

There are still likely several meetings, conversations and tough decisions ahead for Monk when weighing his options. Still, these two seasons with Sacramento have been meaningful enough for him to consider returning for less than he might make elsewhere. 

The team, from Fox to Domantas Sabonis to Keegan Murray, have all expressed how much they want Monk to stay, while they also understand the NBA is a business. Whatever the decision, it seems Monk will have the support of his teammates.

“He’s got a decision to make this summer,” Murray said of Monk. “He knows what’s right for him and whatever he decides to choose, I’ll have his back no matter what.”

Sabonis joked about how long he’s been trying to convince Monk to stay in Sacramento.

“I’ve tried every day since the beginning of training camp,” Sabonis said with a laugh. “Obviously he knows what I think of him and how much I care about him. Hopefully, we’d love to have him back.”

Free agency officially begins at noon ET on July 6, but free-agent negotiations can begin with players on your team the day after the NBA Finals conclude. Negotiations with free agents not on your team can begin on June 30. Monk has plenty of time for relaxation before officially having to make any decisions.

All eyes will be on Monk leading up to his final choice.

As the face of this franchise with Sabonis, Fox answered questions about what he’s hoping to see done to the roster this offseason. The Kings’ front office elected to bring back the bulk of their roster, then stood pat at the trade deadline.

The rest of the West, though, took a step forward.

“We have to look ourselves in the mirror as players,” Fox said. “What could we have done better? And then obviously the front office, what do we bring in to be a better team to compete in this hard conference?”

Fox’s comments felt particularly poignant considering the lack of depth the Sacramento had down the stretch once Monk and Kevin Huerter went down with injuries.

Before even discussing potential moves the front office could make, Fox was sure to detail how the team could’ve made their lives easier with the players who were in that locker room. Individually, he addressed stretches of the season when he felt he wasn’t paying well enough. Fox also alluded to the defensive improvements necessary for the team to take the next step. And of course, he mentioned how essential it is for this team to improve from the free-throw line.

“As a team, we know that we have to be better, we have to build differently,” he said. “That’s not for me to do, that’s for the front office. … You put in the work, you go out there with the guys that you have. You go out and you battle. I’m glad that we were able to do it with this group.

“Two wins from last year puts you from the third seed to the ninth seed, so this conference isn’t getting any easier.”

He’s correct. The West was more competitive this season than last, and will be even more competitive next season. Only four teams in the conference were below .500. One being the San Antonio Spurs, who have one of the best young players in the league in Victor Wembanyama with plenty of cap space. The Memphis Grizzlies were arguably the team affected most by injuries this season, and will be welcoming back Ja Morant, a presumably much healthier core, plus likely reinforcements from the draft.

Sacramento owns the No. 13 pick in the draft, which could be used to select a player. Or it could be packaged in a potential deal to bring in more talent. 

Was this season a disappointment or failure?

Going from breaking a 16-season playoff drought to not advancing to the postseason the following year can raise questions about whether the season as a whole was a disappointment or an overall failure. The answers from players varied.

“It’s definitely very disappointing how it ended,” Sabonis said. “It’s frustrating. It’s tough to even watch the playoffs knowing that we could be there and fighting.

Fox echoed Sabonis’ thoughts.

“You want to continue to play for more,” Fox said. “I don’t think we were bad this year, but obviously the West got tougher and I don’t think we stepped up to that plate. … We took a step backward a little bit as a team. We still have things we can continue to get better at as a group.”

Murray said this season was a bit of a letdown.

“The West has been a lot better this year, so it was different.“ Murray said. “Having really important games late in the season, with two weeks left in the season. It was a different stretch and one you can learn from. It was disappointing to lose a lot of those important games down the stretch that could’ve solidified us getting into the playoffs and not having to play Play-In games.” 

Despite back-to-back seasons with at least 45 wins for the first time since 2003-04 and 2004-05, this year still appeared to be more of a disappointment for players.

It was a difficult season for Huerter was in and out of the starting lineup before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

“Frustrating is definitely the word,” Huerter said. “Even before the injury, just a lot of ups and downs. A lot more downs this year than I think in previous years. Continuously trying to be positive and letting work and staying in the gym just kind of drive my mental state.”

Huerter said he was a bit ahead of schedule on his recovery and should be out of his sling in approximately a month. He said he expects to be back by training camp next season.

Areas of improvement for Fox, Sabonis, Murray

Both Fox and Sabonis are coming off career years, though neither was voted to the All-Star Game this season. Fox averaged career highs in points, rebounds, steals and 3-point attempts, while nearly shooting a career-high from long range. Sabonis posted career-bests in rebounds and assists — he also led the league in both double-doubles and triple-doubles.

But the Kings’ tandem isn’t satisfied. 

“I’m 26, I’ve been in the league for seven years, I feel like I’ve gotten better every year,” Fox said. “So, why do I think my growth just stunts now? I still have things that I can work toward. I’ve had stretches where I’ve looked really good, I’ve had stretches where I wasn’t good.

“I work at my game every day. … I don’t feel like I’m done growing as a player.”

Sabonis also feels there’s another level to reach to make this team more complete.

“You’ve just got to keep trying to focus on your craft,” Sabonis said.” Be more consistent, more efficient, find more ways you can help the team out. We clearly see we need more on this team to compete with the best. Especially in the West.

“Any way (me and De’Aaron) improve our games to help manage that gap is going to be a big thing for us.”

For their younger counterpart, it’s about developing an aggressive mentality as it is working on his game.

Much like Sabonis and Fox, Murray is coming off career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and field goal percentage. He’s made strides on both sides of the ball as a three-level scorer and defender. He’s looking to hone his mentality as much as his game physically over the summer.

“I think that’s just a mindset thing,” Murray said of his evolution. “You come into the NBA and there’s really good players around you. In college, it was different because I was kind of the guy that was going to shoot a lot of shots, so I always had that mindset to be aggressive no matter what was going on in the game.

“I think when I’m at my best, I have that aggression and I’ve found success in that throughout this season. … So it’s just maintaining that throughout the entire season, and I know if I do that I’ll have success.”

Keon Ellis’ journey to postseason starter

Keon Ellis’ journey to this point in his career was never guaranteed. After being converted from a two-way player to starting during the Kings’ two Play-In games, Ellis will be looking to build on his success this season.

“As far as things I need to work, just a lot of the same things I do now,” Ellis said. “I don’t go out there and do too much. I’m playing defense, I’m making shots, attacking closeouts. It’s not like I’m going to be ‘the guy’ going into next season, so really just sharpening those things in my game.”

Ellis was thrust into the starting lineup even before Huerter’s injury, mainly for the elite defensive skills he possesses. But his game offensively continued to blossom. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 40.4 percent shooting from 3-point range through 21 games as a starter this season.

The Kings could be in for an interesting battle for the starting shooting guard position between Ellis and a healthy Huerter. They both impact the game differently, but have each proven to be effective.

As much as Ellis is looking forward to next season, though, he realizes how pivotal this season was in establishing himself as a legitimate NBA player.

“It’s definitely the season where I’ve kind of made a name for myself a little bit,” Ellis said. “We didn’t finish the way we wanted to with the injuries and all of the things that go into that, but definitely for me it’s a season I’m going to look back at and be like, ‘This is where it started for me.’”

(Top photo: Ed Szczepanski / USA Today)