There was renewed speculation Wednesday regarding Malik Monk’s future with the Kings and Sacramento’s pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga amid reports that the recent acquisition of free agent point guard Dennis Schroder will be part of a sign-and-trade deal.
There was immediate speculation that the sign-and-trade deal for Schroder could be linked to Sacramento’s pursuit of Kuminga. The Kings continue to monitor Kuminga’s situation, but a league source told The Sacramento Bee the Schroder deal is unrelated to any talks involving Kuminga and rumors of a three-team trade involving the Kings, Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors are “totally false.”
The Kings reportedly reached an agreement Tuesday on a three-year, $45 million contract with Schroder. The contract can’t be signed until the moratorium ends at 12:01 p.m. ET on Sunday, so Kings general manager Scott Perry has time to explore the possibility of a larger deal as he looks to retool and balance his roster.
The Kings and Pistons reportedly discussed a sign-and-trade scenario that would have sent Monk to Detroit while bringing Schroder to Sacramento, but that iteration of the deal never materialized.
When Schroder agreed to a deal with Sacramento on Tuesday, the Kings were believed to be signing Schroder using their $14.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception. Now, that does not appear to be the case as the two sides have apparently circled back to a sign-and-trade agreement, the details of which have yet to be revealed.
Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday the Schroder signing will, in fact, be a sign-and-trade deal. Brett Siegel of Clutch Points added the Kings will absorb Schroder’s contract using the $16.8 million trade exception they created when they sent Kevin Huerter to the Chicago Bulls as part of the De’Aaron Fox trade.
Monk’s future in Sacramento remains uncertain as the Kings look to clear up a logjam at shooting guard while adding length and athleticism in the frontcourt.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported late Wednesday there was “nothing near the finish line on the Jonathan Kuminga front,” adding that the Warriors were engaged in ongoing discussions with several teams.