How NBA experts rate Kings’ DeRozan deal, other free agency moves

NBA free agency is well underway, and the Kings have plenty to show for it.

In addition to bringing back Malik Monk on a four-year, $78 million contract, Sacramento also re-signed Alex Len and landed six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal that also sent Chris Duarte and Harrison Barnes to the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.

Sacramento certainly hopes these transactions can help the team return to the NBA playoffs next season, and here’s how the moves were graded by experts around the league:

Malik Monk: A

“Getting Malik Monk back is a great outcome for the Kings, who could have been outbid by a team with cap space that aggressively pursued last season’s Sixth Man Award runner-up. …

“To some extent, Sacramento was lucky another team didn’t aggressively pursue Monk, who ranked 10th in my projections of the most valuable free agents over the next three seasons based on his high-volume scoring off the bench and age (26). Much like the Lakers last year with restricted free agent Austin Reaves, the Kings deserve credit for making Monk the best offer possible, including a player option on the final season of the deal as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.” – Kevin Pelton

DeMar DeRozan: C

“Usually, the team that gets the best player in a trade is a big winner, and DeRozan is not only the best player in this draft but also a talent upgrade for Sacramento. The fans in SacTown are already embracing him. That’s all great, but DeRozan’s fit with the Kings is questionable. First, bringing in DeRozan adds a weak defender to a team that already struggles on that end of the court.

“Second, DeRozan is a brilliant isolation scorer in the midrange, but playing to his strengths takes the ball out of the hands of other quality shot creators in De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk (who the Kings re-signed this summer). … Sacramento is going to be a good team this season and with DeRozan its floor is higher. The Kings got better with this trade, but not meaningfully.” – Kurt Helin

DeMar DeRozan: D-minus

“This trade screams impatience from an organization that had no need to rush for the wrong fit. [De’Aaron] Fox and [Domantas] Sabonis are still relatively young. Keegan Murray has two years left on his rookie deal. They didn’t need to take on a high-risk contract for a 35-year-old that doesn’t really fill a need for them. … The likeliest outcome here is that the Kings are still worse than their 2023 counterparts. If they turn out to be better, their defense still presents a hard ceiling on their championship equity. This is the sort of move you make when you’re one DeMar DeRozan away from serious title contention. The Kings aren’t.” – Sam Quinn

DeMar DeRozan: C-plus

“Chicago gets two second-round picks along with Chris Duarte, while the Spurs get in the deal as a third team and grab Harrison Barnes. It’s a three-year, $74 million deal for DeRozan, although his fit with Sacramento is a bit off especially at the cost of Barnes and Duarte.” – Chinmay Vaidya

Malik Monk: B-plus

“While this signing is no 500-plus feet home run by any means, Monk is a great reserve veteran in this league and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. Yes, the Kings might not have the space to trade for a third star or an upgrade at the wing starter spot but the franchise was able to keep Monk on a deal that is easily tradable.

“In the third year of this signing, this contract will likely be considered a discount as he will probably continue to be a top reserve in the league. If Monk can keep being the offensive engine he has been in the last two years, it’s easy to say that the fanbase or the Kings front office will not lose much sleep over the annual commitment to the guard.” – Jonathan Lurensky

Malik Monk, Alex Len: A-minus

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