The Los Angeles Lakers continue to add more depth to the roster during the 2021 free agency period.
So far, the Lakers have added Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore on minimum deals and more players are coming.
The Lakers had only LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Marc Gasol and Alfonzo McKinnie under contract prior to the flurry of signings.
Now, Los Angeles is adding guard Malik Monk to the rotation.
The Charlotte Hornets drafted Monk with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, though it’s been a rocky ride for him through four seasons.
However, Monk slowly started to figure things out last season. But the Hornets allowed him to walk in free agency because of their crowded guard rotation.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported the news:
Free agent G Malik Monk has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
Monk averaged 11.7 points per game last season in Charlotte, which marked a career-high for the 23-year-old guard. He also hit on 40.1 percent of his threes on 5.0 attempts; both numbers were also career-highs.
Monk should play a vital role off the bench as a scorer who can create off the dribble, especially when a combination of James, Westbrook and Davis are on the bench.
The deal is rumored to be for the minimum, which could turn out to be fantastic value for the Lakers.
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