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Why Lakers should reunite LeBron James with $77 million 17.5 PPG scorer, 6MOY runner-up


The Los Angeles Lakers' most recent blowout 126-106 defeat at the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night marked the group's third consecutive loss, dropping their record to 40-24.

While the team still maintains possession of the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, their latest disappointing loss without LeBron James in the lineup due to a groin injury did plenty to showcase their lack of on-ball scoring talent.

Outside of James (when healthy), Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have found supplementary offense hard to come by, which could possibly lead their general manager Rob Pelinka to seek a reunion with creative scoring threat and current Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk this summer.

In a hypothetical scenario where Pelinka decides to negotiate a deal of this nature with Sacramento, the Lakers could get a deal over the finish line by offering a package including Rui Hachimura, or the contracts of Jarred Vanderbilt and Shake Milton with draft capital.

The 27-year-old Monk was previously a fantastic complementary scoring option next to James as a member of the Lakers for one season in 2021-22, when he averaged 13.8 points on an impressive 57.8% effective field goal percentage. 

Now in his third go-around with the Kings in 2024-25, he has further transformed into a versatile offensive dynamo, contributing a career-best 17.5 points and 5.9 assists in 54 appearances for the franchise while showing off his ridiculous ball-handling ability and unreal athleticism .

One might assume that the Lakers don't need any more offensive help outside of their star trio, but James' recent hiatus has highlighted key areas of focus in which Monk could help to improve. 

The Kings may also be motivated to deal Monk due to their current log-jam of ball-dominant scorers, including the star duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

Pairing Monk with the four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Fame inductee James once again may be an incredibly important decision that could pay dividends for the storied organization in the form of another title win.

Over the course of his career, it's been a necessity for a James-led roster to include a volume shooter to take on some of the offensive burden in spurts, effectively taking pressure off of the all-time great and allowing him to operate more as a play-maker.

While prospectively sharing the court with both he and Dončić, Monk could change the dynamic of the team through his ability to become a one-man wrecking crew on offense, especially in clutch, late-game situations. 

More NBA: Lakers could hit jackpot by swapping Austin Reaves for $165 million Heat star

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