New York Knicks: 2 “Buy Low” Free Agent Candidates

New York Knicks: Candidate #1 – Malik Monk

Malik Monk was a highly touted prospect coming out of the University of Kentucky back in 2017. He was a player heavily rumored to be a target of the New York Knicks, but the team instead took Frank Ntilikina 8th overall in the 2017 NBA draft. Monk slid to 11th overall and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets.

In four years with the Hive, Monk was mostly unable to show his value as a lottery pick. The Hornets have been an “NBA purgatory” type team during his tenure, meaning they have always been a middling team, mediocre at best, but striving for more and always coming up short. This push for winning basketball was one reason why Monk didn’t fit and see much development, Charlotte didn’t foster a rookie playing environment.

Not to mention Monk has always been a tweener. At just 6’3, he’s a guard with great athleticism, but he lacked the size and strength to score as he did as a Wildcat, and he doesn’t have the floor general ability you’d like for him to play point guard, so he has been stuck as an undersized shooting guard. Throw in a couple of injuries the last two years, and you have an NBA career that hasn’t been easy.

However, despite these trials, Monk has seemed to come into his own a bit in a limited role for the Hornets. After three dreadful shooting seasons, Monk shot an impressive 40% from three on 5 attempts per game. Five attempts in just 20.9 minutes off of the bench, good for 11.7 points per game. His overall field goal percentage (43%) and scoring ability still leaves a bit to be desired, but he had at times been a real flamethrower and difference maker for a competitive Hornets team.

The Knicks can very likely get Monk on a “prove me” type deal, meaning a short-term (maybe 1+1 or 1+2 team options) deal for at least the minimum. They may not even have to guarantee much money to sway him towards the Big Apple. Seeing as how the Knicks were just so successful with their player development this year, and we know they love Kentucky players, the 23-year-old Monk can come in and potentially provide the shooting the team needs and might even give himself a shot at a bigger future with the team down the road.