Malik Monk has been one of the few pleasant surprises on the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Monk has been a bright spot in what has otherwise been a disappointing season that has since turned chaotic.
However, because the team as a whole is struggling this season, the spotlight has not been shined on Monk and instead has been shined on the team’s issues. As a result, we are getting a sense of desperation out of the Los Angeles Lakers front office as it scrambles to improve the team in any way possible before the NBA trade deadline.
That desperation could lead to a surprising Malik Monk trade by the Los Angeles Lakers.
I want to be very clear before we dive into the analysis: I am by no means petitioning for Malik Monk to be traded. Monk is someone who I was very high on before he was with the Lakers and I would much rather see him at least play out the season with the Lakers.
That being said, the Lakers have made worse trades than trading Monk and based on a few key factors, it honestly would not be all that shocking if the Lakers got a bit desperate and traded one of the few bright spots on the team.
At this point, nothing Rob Pelinka does can surprise us. Here are three reasons why the Lakers could ultimately pull off a shocking, and bad, trade of Malik Monk.