The Sacramento Kings dropped a one-point heartbreaker in Portland on Thursday, but Malik Monk’s DNP-CD is arguably the top storyline to emerge from the Beam Team’s latest defeat.
Sacramento (6-21) almost completed an incredible comeback that included a 15-point comeback during the final two minutes of regulation before falling by one point in overtime as the Blazers escaped with a 134-133 victory.
While the narrow loss adds to the Kings’ laundry list of painful results this season, Monk’s absence on the floor raised a lot of eyebrows.
Monk, who was healthy and not listed on the injury report, was a healthy scratch as head coach Doug Christie opted to play guard Keon Ellis in Thursday night’s rotation instead.
“We were going with defense, but it’s a logjam,” Christie told The Sacramento Bee‘s Jason Anderson of the decision to play Ellis over Monk. “We’ve got a lot of guards, so whenever it was Keon being the odd man out, then it was Keon being out. Tonight, we were playing Keon, so Malik was out.”
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More on Kings guards Malik Monk & Keon Ellis
Malik Monk has been one of Sacramento’s best players thus far to begin the regular season.
Through 23 games, Monk holds averages of 13.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent from three-point range.
Monk’s three-point shooting has taken a huge step forward this year, as the Sixth Man has raised his shooting percentage nearly ten percent from the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
While Monk’s importance to the Kings’ second unit is evident, Sacramento is in a time of transition and change as trade talks begin around the NBA.
Both Malik Monk and Keon Ellis’ names have been included in countless trade rumors, but Anderson reports that Thursday’s benching was not due to a trade that was in the works. The decision was Christie’s, and the first-year head coach hinted that we may continue to see Ellis over Monk in the rotation in the near term.
“Nothing is permanent,” Christie told The Sacramento Bee. “Obviously, we’re going to continue to try to make it happen, but Keon played well. We’ll give Keon a run and allow him to continue to develop with those guys.”
Malik Monk and Keon Ellis are two players who could make for interesting trade possibilities as the February 5th trade deadline approaches. Monk’s modest salary ($18 million in 2025-26) and strong play could lead to more interest as the season continues, while Ellis’ expiring $2 million contract has already made the guard “a popular player” around the league.
As Christie said on Thursday, the Kings are searching for answers right now. At 6-21, it’s unlikely this team competes for anything other than a high draft pick this season, which means we could see more veterans like Malik Monk get benched to highlight different players until this logjam is resolved.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
As trade season begins around the NBA, it’s clear that the stumbling Sacramento Kings will be active in discussions with several teams in efforts to turn over a roster that is currently well under the .500 mark.
The Athletic‘s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Thursday to share his intel on where things stand around the league, dive into the discussion of NBA expansion, and highlight the value of Kings guard Keon Ellis, who is “popular” in trade discussions.
Ellis, who is the Kings’ best defender and a talented long-distance shooter (42% during his NBA career), has fallen victim to Sacramento’s current logjammed roster.
Veterans like Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Dennis Schroder are ahead of Ellis on the depth chart, meaning his minutes per game average has fallen from 24.4 during the 2024-25 campaign to 17.0 this season.
Since the Kings picked up Ellis’ $2.3 million team option for this year, the 25-year-old guard will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, giving him the right to sign with any team.
Sam Amick: Keon Ellis is ‘a very popular player’ in trade talks
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Saturday, December 20th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 21st – vs. Houston Rockets – 7:00 PM PT
Tuesday, December 23rd vs. Detroit Pistons – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 27th – vs. Dallas Mavericks – 2:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 28th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 6:30 PM PT
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