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4 teams who are the biggest threats of stealing Malik Monk from the Lakers

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against Malik Beasley #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 02, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against Malik Beasley #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 02, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Malik Monk was the best part of a horrible Los Angeles Lakers season and there is a good chance that he is not going to be around next season. While Monk shared his appreciation of being a Laker and said that money will not be the driving factor in free agency, he is going to get offers that double that the Lakers can give him.

The most the Lakers can sign Monk to is a Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception worth $6.4 million. Monk is projected to get a contract of the Non-taxpayer MLE or higher, with a league source telling Heavy’s Sean Deveney that his value is around a three-year, $32 million to four-year, $45 million deal.

The same source mentioned several teams to watch out for when it comes to Monk. Some of the teams mentioned make sense, others not so much. We decided to rank the five teams who we think are the biggest threats to steal Malik Monk.

4 teams who could steal Malik Monk from the Los Angeles Lakers:

1. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks were one of the teams mentioned in Deveney’s article and it makes sense for New York to go after a player like Monk. The Knicks are going to be under the luxury tax and Monk is exactly the kind of guard the Knicks should look to add with an MLE.

New York is a bit guard-heavy, to be fair, but adding another off-ball shooter to the rotation could do wonders for the team. Evan Fournier was meant to be that guy this season and he had a disappointing year, although he will start over Monk.

A bench backcourt of a healthy Derrick Rose and Monk could be deadly as both guys getting hot at the same time can swing entire games for the Knicks. It also helps that Monk is only 24 years old as he fits into the young roster mold that New York has been establishing.

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