Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Knicks, again, have interest in Malik Monk
Charlotte Hornets guard Malik Monk is on the radar of the New York Knicks, a team that came extremely close to drafting him in 2017.
While Malik Monk has made strides in some areas as a third-year player, I was expecting more from him with the Charlotte Hornets during the 2019-20 season. He still has time to turn things around, but with February’s trade deadline around the corner, he may be wearing a different uniform while doing it.
There’s no question that Monk hasn’t lived up to expectations in Charlotte. I’m not saying that Charlotte is going to trade him, but he will be a player that gets looks from other teams. One team that appears to have reengaged interest in the former Kentucky product is New York.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, some members of the Knicks organization view Monk as a “trade target worth pursuing” prior to the deadline.
This is interesting, given the fact that the Knicks had the chance to draft Monk back in 2017 before opting to go with Frank Ntilikina eighth overall. Prior to the draft, all signs pointed to Monk ending up in NY, so it was a shocker to see him fall to the Hornets with the 11th pick.
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Both Monk and Ntilikina have shown signs during their careers, but they haven’t been able to put it all together. In the end, both Charlotte and New York missed on the prize of that draft class in Donovan Mitchell, who ended up going 13th overall to Denver and eventually traded to Utah.
Like I said, there’s still time for both Monk and Ntilikina to turn things around. If traded to New York, Monk would likely be given a larger role, which would help his chances. It’s unclear if the two sides have had any discussions, but expect the rumors to keep swirling going into February.
Monk is coming off one of his best games of the season against Orlando, so if he keeps up that level of play, maybe it will convince a team to make a move for him. Or, on the other side of that coin, it could convince the Hornets to hold on to him.
Monk ended the night with 20 points on 8-13 shooting, boosting his season averages up to 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds on 43 percent shooting.
Let’s keep in mind, Monk’s value isn’t exactly high at the moment. The Hornets aren’t going to get a very attractive return for him. However, his career thus far hasn’t gone according to plan. Do they move forward with his development for at least one more season or simply cut ties with him now?
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The trade deadline is on February 6th, so we will soon find out how active the Charlotte Hornets will be. Malik Monk is certainly one player to keep an eye on moving forward.