Could the Raptors call the Kings about Malik Monk?

Could the Raptors call the Kings about Malik Monk?

hours with you and we are really really happy to be joined by our guy S. Bear a henny of the NBA Daily Show on the Athletic S. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me, man. Appreciate you guys. I know you were running around today and there was some scheduling stuff, so we really do appreciate you taking the time. So, I’ll throw you a softball here. I don’t know if it’s considered a softball or not. Hey, hey, S. What are the Raptors doing? What are they doing right now? Yeah, it’s a good question, man. Um, you know, there’s for the most part, I would say that their roster is set. Uh, but they do have some financial questions heading into next season just because they are uh a little bit above the first apron. uh definitely acting as a luxury tax team right now. And so the question becomes, well, how long do they want to be a luxury tax team? How long do they want to stay in the first apron? uh they have until the end of next season to get themselves out of that luxury tax uh and and not have to fork up any money tax-wise, but I think right now given where they are financially and you know obviously the Yaka Purle extension, Emanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scotty Barnes, Brandon Ingram, they’re locked into a lot of money for their core. And so naturally the question becomes, hey, are they going to be moving any of these guys to maybe alleviate some of that pressure? Talking to S. Bear Henny of the NBA Daily podcast for the Athletics. So what piqu my interest and obviously we we follow each other and you got some great stuff. Be sure to follow S on social media. I follow him on on X. And what piqued my interest and and I wanted to have you on the show. Uh, you said this last night, Malik Monk averaged 13 drives a game and shot 50% on those drives. That would instantly be number one on the Raptors in both aspects, efficiency and quantity. And then you went on to say would very much so welcome a trade for him. So Malik Monk is a guy that you think the Raptors could kind of add on. And I guess the question would be, you know, to just kind of make a mock trade here, who would you be willing to give up to to go get him? How how much do you value Malik Monk and what you see him bringing to the Kings table right now? First of all, I I will say, and this is this is from an outsers’s perspective, but I I kind of am stunned that the Kings uh are even entertaining the idea of trading Malik Monk. Now I know uh obviously there is sort of the the roster questions of you know what will happen with Demard Rosen and and what might happen with Deont Sabonis down the line. Uh and obviously naturally that brings up the question of what happens with Malik Monk especially with their current guard rotation. Uh, but personally, I just think what Monk brings to the Kings as this firecracker microwave type scorer who can explode offensively um has grown and improved as a playmaker in my opinion. Uh, really works well in dribble handoff scenarios and pick and roll situations with Sabonis. I thought he’s developed like a a very potent chemistry with Sabonis uh in those pick and roll actions and dribble handoff actions. So, I’m surprised that there’s even this conversation that they they might move him, especially because in my opinion, he’s on a pretty good value contract. Now, that being said, um you know, from the Raptors situation, I think RJ Barrett makes sense there. You know, obviously, if from the Kings perspective, there’s the Scott Perry connection. Uh with him being in New York, him and RJ Barrett and Emanuel Quickley, you know, we’re all there together. And so naturally that becomes a connection that people make. And from the Raptors perspective, they’ve always been interested in Malik Monk. You know, in Charlotte when he was hitting free agency, uh the Raptors were a team that was lurking to see if they could get him before he went to the Lakers. And you know, even after he went to the Lakers and was up for a bag and eventually went to Sacramento, the Raptors were interested again. And they’ve they’ve had conversations in the past about trying to find a way to get Malik Monk. I don’t know if they revisit that at this point, but it’s naturally a conversation that happens here, especially given the Raptors financial implications and how high value in my opinion Monk’s contract is. Well, and and I guess that’s the other question with the Raptors and moving on from Messiah UI. How aggressive do you think they’ll be? Whether it’s about Malik Monk or or anybody or could this be more of a a chill summer? It it to truthfully it feels like it might be a chill summer. Um you know, I think they will want to see how this group moves and starts the season. you know, they just really haven’t had an opportunity to see this group healthy whatsoever. Even when they acquired Brandon Ingram at the trade deadline last year, um, you know, he didn’t play in any of the games after the trade deadline, uh, and especially after the All-Star break, he didn’t play any games for the Raptors. And so I think they want to see how this group works initially to start the year and then maybe they revisit things at the trade deadline whether it be trading someone like RJ Barrett who is obviously a hometown kid and has had career years here in Toronto so far since he’s arrived and so I think he’s a better player than he was when he was in New York. Um, but this is something that they probably will end up revisiting at the trade deadline. Uh, because they they’ll need to shed some money. We keep hearing about that trade deadline. Talking to S. Barah Henny of the NBA Daily podcast for The Athletic, also does a video hosting for Raptors Republic and some work for Bleacher Report NBA as well. Let’s stick with RJ Barrett because a term that we’ve been hearing is the second draft, right? And RJ Barrett gets moved in that big deal for OG. He leaves the Big Apple. He’s in Toronto. So really for RJ Barrett, this is would you count it as a second draft or third draft if he makes his way to the Kings? Do you think he got a fair shake with the Raptors? Did the Raptors ever I don’t know. I mean, obviously he got playing time, but did they ever invest in him or do you think it was kind of always the plan? We’re going to see what happens. If he pops, then great. But it it’s not really a long leash. They they dropped obviously Grady Dick and other guys. It just feels like the Raptors were never really committed to to RJ Barrett in that way. I I don’t know if I see it that way. Um, I I think when they acquired uh Barrett and Quickly in that trade for OG, sending OG to the Knicks, I think the the way that they envisioned it was just getting players back that could potentially be a part of the core moving f moving forward. Uh they obviously extended quickly to that 5-year contract and unfortunately he had an injury riddled uh first season with the Raptors. Meanwhile, Barrett uh really refined his game and RA Raptors head coach Dark Yakovich has mentioned that, you know, a lot of the things that R.J. does reminds him of Manu Genobbi in the way that he’s incredible finishing at the basket. Uh now, obviously he’s he’s he hasn’t reached the levels of Manu obviously. Um, but what he can do physically as a scorer, the way he can get to his left hand pretty consistently, uh, the way he’s improved as a playmaker. I mean, for the first couple of months of last season, RJ Barrett was one of the best pick and roll playmakers in the entire NBA. Um, and so that’s an area of growth for him. They’ve allowed him to thrive. They’ve kind of given him that opportunity and those touches to develop the tertiary areas of his game. The question moving forward is how he fits alongside the rest of this group with Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram and Yaka Purle. There’s not a ton of spacing in that starting lineup. And so naturally the inclination is to well Grady Dick can space the floor and Jacobe Walter can space the floor and Oiabaji can do the same. And so how do they fit in versus what R.J. provides as more of a downhill threat? Uh that’s the question moving forward with this Raptors team. How do all of these uh kind of like how do you feed all of these people? Right. A lot of mouths to feed offensively. Where are those touches going to go? Right. Seems like a different version the the different page of the same book with the Sacramento Kings and trying to figure out, hey, we got talent. It’s just a matter of making all of it work. Emanuel Emanuel Quickley, he’s been like you said, he was injured a bit. some people. We’ve been doing trade candidates and Emanuel quickly came up and the conversation was whether or not he’s on a a bad contract. Now that you’re seeing some of these other players get get paid and how you know the the Chandler Parsons of the world aren’t getting these crazy deals anymore. How do you view uh Emanuel Quickley’s contract and and the money he’s making 30 plus million a year? Yeah, it’s it’s really interesting truthfully because you look at restricted free agency right now and there’s four players who are negotiating uh with their respective teams and Jonathan Kaminga, Josh Giddy, Cam Thomas, uh and I’m forgetting another one, but there’s there’s four guys right now who are in restricted free agency who are negotiating with their teams to try and get uh some money. And the Raptors were in a similar situation with Emanuel Quickley last year. he was entering restricted free agency. Instead of dealing with the headache of, you know, negotiating whatnot, they in good faith gave him a healthy contract, $32.5 million per year. It’s flat. Uh I think that contract will look better as it ages because as the salary cap goes up, the percentage of the cap in which that contract is, uh the cap hit, as you will, is a little bit less. Um, but right now, especially coming off of those injuries and an injury riddled year, uh, it’s tough to say that it has too much value right now, uh, I think ultimately the Raptors wouldn’t be in a position to trade him because they wouldn’t be trading him for much. It’s that they would have to recoup the value of a guy like Quickly, uh, get it to a point where it makes a lot of sense and then trade him if they wanted to. But again, he what he provides to this Raptors team is really important because they lack shooting already and quickly was one of the best, you know, catch and shoot, pull up guys as well. So, they’ll need his three-point shooting if they want to have a successful season next year. Couple more for you. Talking to S Barah Henny of the NBA Daily podcast for the Athletic Brandon Ingram. I got to say, S, I was a bit stunned when when Brandon Ingram got moved to Toronto. I think we all felt like hopefully we all were, man. I know. I know. Yeah. Well, with that being said, I mean, and then he obviously didn’t play too much or at all once he gets that contract. Was that a headscratcher? Are you in on the on the Brandon Ingram? Because a lot of people thought he was going to maybe mess around and come to Sacramento. We thought we needed spacing and then got to Marty Rosen. So, we were all incorrect. What did you think about that Brandon Ingram move? Yeah, look, it’s it’s banking on on Ingram being a healthier version than what he was in New Orleans. I think the main question with him was always miss time. Uh, you know, I’ve I’ve mentioned this before, but uh he’s only had one season where he’s played more than 65 games uh in his career. And so that’s the main question moving forward with BI. I think if he does end up having healthy seasons with Toronto, then you know the trade that they made in order to acquire him, which was Kelly Olen, Bruce Brown, and uh a 2026 first round pick that was not their own. Um that was fair value. If anything, it was probably a bargain for a player with the abilities of Brandon Ingram. You think about a guy who is a proficient scoreer, has improved as a playmaker, and truthfully, the way the Raptors offense is set up, they’ve needed someone like BI to shoulder some of the load. You know, Scotty Barnes is not there yet as a scorer. Maybe one day he develops and becomes more of a go-to guy, but at this point he’s more of a guy who can feed off of actions from other players uh and work in the dunker spot, working, you know, as a basically a pick and roll hub to be able to get downhill. Brandon Ingram can alleviate some of that pressure from him to be that score. And I think the the Raptors had success with Pascal Seakum and Scotty Barnes together because of that fact. Maybe they can do the same with BI. So, I I came into the trade a little bit surprised, but now I’m more bought in given the issues that the Raptors have had offensively in recent years. So, and and one more for you talking to S. Barah Henny of the NBA Daily Podcast for the Athletic. One more for you. You and I had this all all lined up for you, S. And after talking to you, I think it’s pretty clear now. We’ve been trying We’ve been trying to, you know, manifest a Demar De Rozan return to Toronto. You’re talking about the lack of spacing already. Any interest from the Raptors? You think maybe RJ Barrett, Demar, D Rozan, something? Or do you think there’s too many mid-ranges being shot on the team already? Yeah, I I don’t think that makes sense for this team anymore. I mean, um, Dear is is going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s he’s a wildly talented scorer, obviously a fan favorite here in Toronto. Uh, but I don’t I don’t think he necessarily makes sense for this team at this point in time. Uh, I was surprised. I thought I thought it would end up being Miami to trade for Demar. You know, there was there was those rumors that was circulating. Obviously, they ended up trading for Norm Powell, so I think they’re out of those sweep stakes. But, I’m really curious where Dear ends up because he can alleviate some pressure from anybody. I’m thinking like maybe the Atlanta Hawks need a guy who can take some pressure off of Trey Young, you know. Um maybe there’s another team out there. Maybe Boston in their gap year is willing to use another score in Demar to alleviate some of the pressure off of Jaylen Brown. Uh what Demar can do can fill a lot of holes for certain teams, but unfortunately not the Toronto Raptors at this point. Fair enough. Fair enough. Well, S, thank you so much for joining us. You know, I was looking at everything you have on your uh on your Twitter page and look, I thought I was busy. It looks like you’re running around doing a bunch of stuff. So, we appreciate you taking the time. Says in arena for Raptors 905. So, are you doing sideline because I do a little bit of in-game hosting as well as So, are you doing sideline reporting or Yeah. Are you hyping people up? All All of the above, man. So, I do I do in arena hosting. I throw t-shirts to people when it comes to the 905, but I do uh sideline reporting for the CBL. Uh the goal is to eventually do sideline reporting for the NBA. Uh obviously host the podcast for the NBA Daily and you know video content for Raptors Republican Bleacher Report, but I know you yourself, you’re a very busy man as well getting to it. I got to go grocery shopping. Speaking of busy, but uh I appreciate you having me on. Thank you very much, man. Thank you, man. We will talk to you soon. Great stuff. That was S. Bear a henny of the NBA Daily Show on the Athletic and a lot of other stuff. Be sure to follow him on social media.

The Athletic’s Esfandiar Baraheni joined Allen Stiles to discuss if the Toronto Raptors make sense as a potential suitor for Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk.

Plus, could Toronto have interest in a reunion with DeMar DeRozan?

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