The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a blowout 132-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Despite solid performances by LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers simply seemed outmatched on both ends of the floor.
While the Lakers’ defensive shortcomings have been noted, Tuesday night’s result saw the team’s offense fail. With Luka Doncic sidelined due to injury, the Purple and Gold lacked the firepower that has helped them be successful this season.
The team’s reliance on Doncic for its offense is a concern. With a sudden need to add more scoring depth, the Lakers are rumored to have set their sights on Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk.
Monk, a former Laker himself, has reportedly been put up on the trade block. With the Kings communicating their desire to move him before the trade deadline, the Lakers could attempt to acquire him. With this in mind, we look at a potential trade offer that the Lakers could make to land the guard.
Proposed Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Malik Monk
Sacramento Kings Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Maxi Kleber, 2032 second-round pick
What Do The Kings Gain From This Trade?
At the current juncture, the Sacramento Kings are in a state of flux. With a 7-23 record, Sacramento sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Given their recent stretch of poor performances and the team’s recent rotation changes, there is some evidence to suggest that the Kings may be heading toward a rebuild.
With this in mind, acquiring a second-round pick, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Maxi Kleber in this trade scenario may be sufficient.
From a rebuild standpoint, acquiring Maxi Kleber could be promising. With a contract worth $11.0 million, the Kings may benefit from the cap flexibility they could gain once his contract expires next summer.
From a player standpoint, Kleber may have lesser value, given this season’s averages of 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Still, as a high-IQ big man, he could be a solid mentor for Kings center Maxime Raynaud.
Should Sacramento undergo a rebuild, acquiring Jarred Vanderbilt may not seem like the most sensible choice. However, given his defensive and rebounding upside, the Kings may see merit in adding him to strengthen their roster.
For the 2025-26 season, Vanderbilt is averaging 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game. When also factoring in his improvement as a perimeter shooter, he could earn more playing time in Sacramento, something he has struggled to do in L.A.
What Do The Lakers Gain From This Deal?
For the Lakers, acquiring Malik Monk could prove quite beneficial. The guard already has experience playing with LeBron James in Los Angeles. Having asserted himself as a reliable scoring force off the bench, the Purple and Gold may view his return favorably, though it may require them to part with some draft assets.
Monk cemented himself as a contributor for the Kings last season. Unfortunately, this season has proven to be more challenging. Due to the guard’s reduced role in Sacramento’s rotation, which has favored Keon Ellis for his defensive upside lately, Monk’s stats have taken a hit.
With averages of 12.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game this season, Monk hasn’t seemed impressive. Still, with shooting splits of 43.5% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range, there is enough reason to believe that he could be a valuable contributor on L.A.’s bench.
In his last stint with the Lakers, Monk averaged 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on 47.3% shooting from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. Production like this could prove extremely valuable, especially with Los Angeles’ second unit.
Do The Lakers Need Malik Monk?
Typically, most teams in the NBA rely on their starting lineup to produce a majority of their points. However, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ case, this appears to be quite evident.
The Lakers currently average 117.7 points per game. While this ranks 13th in the NBA at the moment, what is concerning is that the Lakers’ bench only produces 24.3 points per game.
Currently, Marcus Smart (10.5 PPG) and Jake LaRavia (8.8 PPG) lead the bench in scoring, with Nick Smith Jr. (7.6 PPG) also emerging as a contributor. With consistency becoming an issue, however, the Purple and Gold constantly find themselves in a tough position.
Adding a player like Malik Monk may address these issues on paper. His offensive production is reliable, and his flexibility could allow the Lakers to rest players like Austin Reaves when necessary.
Still, Monk’s drop-off in scoring raises some eyebrows regarding his current form. Given the doubts about his ability to be a consistent contributor to the Lakers’ bench scoring efforts, L.A. may benefit more from keeping an eye out for different options.
