Kings guard Malik Monk is one trade target the Milwaukee Bucks have kept their eye on as they scour the market for additional scoring. There's no doubt that he would offer an offensive upgrade over Kyle Kuzma off the bench, despite similar volume numbers. Monk is a more natural scorer and playmaker, known to get white-hot at a moment's notice.
The problem is, if the Bucks are seeking a replacement for Kuzma's nightly inconsistency, they aren't going to find it in Monk. As Kings fans are well aware, the Malik Monk experience can be a roller coaster ride as well.
Monk isn't the cure Bucks crave
In the first full season under Doug Christie as head coach, Monk has seen his minutes dip significantly as Sacramento flounders in the depths of the West. He's still producing, but not at his typical clip. Monk's averages are down across the board: 12.1 points per game, 2.4 assists, and two rebounds. Defensive issues have contributed to his decreased role in the rotation.
His overall efficiency has ticked up, however, due to a lights-out year from distance. His 41.3 conversion rate on triple tries would be a career-high.
That's Monk's season in a snapshot. What it doesn't capture is the up-and-down nature of performance, which would be among the problems the Bucks would face in trading for him as a more reliable Kuzma replacement. In 36 games, Monk has failed to reach double-figures in the scoring column 15 times. On seven other occasions, he's gone for 20-plus.
That's continued this month. Monk began the New Year with a string of DNPs, then poured in a season-high 26 points in his third game back in the rotation. In the month of January, entering Wednesday's contest versus Toronto, he had three games with two or fewer made field goals and four with six or more. It's been hit-or-miss for much of the season.
Sure, the Bucks could gamble on Monk for the value of his upside, but they shouldn't expect an experience all that different from the Kyle Kuzma show. Since Giannis Antetokounmpo's return late last month, Kuzma has had games of 6, 5, 3, and 2 points in 11 outings. In the others, he's averaging 13.6 points but has shot 50 percent or better only three times. He's not the shooter Monk is, but he's a much better defender and gives the Bucks badly needed size.
Of course, they wouldn't have to swap Kuzma for Monk. They could package Bobby Portis and another small salary and pull off the deal that way. From Milwaukee's point of view, though, if not the Kings' as well, swapping Kuzma for Monk would make the most sense. Sacramento has expressed interest in Kuzma in the past, and the Bucks don't need two inconsistent players instead of one. Portis, for his part, has been fairly steady.
Ultimately gunning for Monk doesn't seem like a smart move, particularly if Kevin Porter Jr., another wild card, will be coming off the bench as well. The fact that Monk won't fix Milwaukee's consistency issues is just one more reason to hold off.