The Sacramento Kings’ most recent 122-95 deflating loss to the Indiana Pacers Sunday night comes during a time of uncertainty for the franchise.
Their defeat against Indiana is the latest in a four-game skid, which has dropped the team’s record to 13-17 through 30 games this season.
Sacramento’s unfortunate start now plays a role in the trade rumor mill, as several key members of the team could potentially be up for grabs if things continue to trend downward.
Their All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox was the first to be involved in rumors after it was made known that a lack of success with the Kings could lead to him declining a contract extension with the franchise.
With these recent developments, suitors from all over the league could begin to give the Kings’ front office a call to inquire about their key pieces.
One of these calls could very well come from the Golden State Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy, as he may discuss the possibility of landing Sacramento’s offensive weapon and reserve guard, Malik Monk.
Coming off the heels of their trade to acquire Dennis Schröder which was finalized on Dec. 15, Golden State could further look to bolster their offensive firepower with a trade to acquire the league’s second-place finisher in Sixth Man of the Year voting from a season ago.
Sitting at 15-12 and placed as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, Golden State would love to add another crafty scoring weapon, as their 108.6 point average as a unit in their last five games ranks as a bottom-ten figure in that span.
Following his career season from a year ago, Monk is currently contributing a career-high 15.7 points along with 4.9 assists in 23 appearances for Sacramento. Seeing that the Kings aren’t benefiting from his excellent play, Golden State could try to convince the team to begin building for the future in order to land the proven scoring threat.
Monk’s status as a Sixth Man scoring force that can enter a game and change its complexion within minutes could become invaluable for a Warriors team lacking in bench production since the season-ending ACL injury to guard De’Anthony Melton.
The addition of Monk beside the four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry would help to alleviate some pressure by giving them another player capable of creating their own offense if a play breaks down.
In exchange for Monk, the Warriors would likely need to ship out a prospect like Brandin Podziemski or Moses Moody along with first-round draft capital if Sacramento intends to press the reset button.
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