‘Real brothers’: How friendship with De’Aaron Fox motivated Malik Monk to sign with Kings

Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox formed a friendship in high school. They built a brotherhood in college. Now, as they get ready to reunite in Sacramento, they will be Kings in the NBA.

Sacramento agreed to terms on a two-year, $19 million contract with Monk as soon as free agency began at 3 p.m. Thursday. The deal cannot be finalized until the moratorium ends July 6, but reunion plans between former Kentucky teammates are already underway.

Sources with knowledge of the situation described Monk and Fox as “brothers,” saying their relationship was a key factor in Monk’s decision to sign with Sacramento.

“Him and De’Aaron are extremely close, and they’ve been close since high school, so I would say the overall factor with Fox, their relationship and the friendship they’ve always had, definitely played a big role,” the source said.

The source went on to say the situation presents “a good opportunity to grow something organically there in Sacramento.”

Fox and Monk are both 24 years old. They were born 46 days and 450 miles apart. They’ve remained close since their days together at Kentucky, talk frequently, and had already spoken a short time after Monk struck a deal with the Kings.

“They speak all the time,” a source said. “They’re still in their college group chat, so they speak every day. Those guys are real brothers, so I’m excited for them both.”

Fox came out of Cypress Lakes High School in Katy, Texas, as the nation’s sixth-ranked prospect, according to ESPN. Monk came out of Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Arkansas, as the ninth-ranked recruit. They crossed paths on the youth basketball circuit, shared the floor in the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game and competed in the Jordan Brand Classic, where they earned Co-MVP honors.

Fox, Monk, Bam Adebayo, Wenyen Gabriel and Hamidou Diallo headlined a star-studded recruiting class at Kentucky in 2016. Those names have come up often in conversations with Fox since he entered the NBA with fond memories of his former teammates. Kyle Tucker, who covers Kentucky basketball for The Athletic, noted Monk and Adebayo will be groomsmen at Fox’s wedding this summer.

The Wildcats went 32-5 in 2016-17 to reach the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament. Monk averaged a team-high 19.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Fox averaged 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals.

Fox teared up in the Kentucky locker room following a season-ending loss to North Carolina. Fox felt there was unfinished business under coach John Calipari as he headed to the NBA along with Monk and Adebayo. Fox went to the Kings with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. The Charlotte Hornets selected Monk with the No. 11 pick. Adebayo went to the Miami Heat at No. 13.

Monk made steady progress, but he never completely found his footing over his first four seasons in Charlotte. He improved his numbers every year with increases in scoring, volume and efficiency, but he made only one start in 233 games with the Hornets.

Monk took on a bigger role after signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. He appeared in 76 games, including 37 starts, averaging career highs of 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.8 steals. He shot a career-best 47.3% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range on 5.8 attempts per game.

Monk’s shooting addresses one of Sacramento’s biggest needs after the Kings finished 24th in the NBA in 3-point shooting (.344) last season. Spacing the floor will be critical to their success with Fox and center Domantas Sabonis.

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Monk is a bit undersized at shooting guard. He doesn’t have great length and hasn’t been regarded as a strong defender, but he was solid defensively with the Lakers last season with one source saying he is increasingly “buying in on that end.” Whether he can help the Kings improve their porous defense is another question, but Monk and Fox will be highly motivated to make this pairing work.

Monk is said to be eager to demonstrate his utility, versatility and growing commitment to defense. He believes playing for a defensive-minded coach like Mike Brown will be good for his NBA maturation process, sources said.

Monk is a nice fit for Sacramento’s timeline. He is the same age as Fox and two years younger than Sabonis. Rookie forward Keegan Murray will turn 22 in August. The Kings could put together a starting lineup featuring Fox, Monk, Harrison Barnes, Murray and Sabonis, although it’s possible Barnes will be traded this summer.

Monk and the Kings haven’t discussed whether he will start, but opportunity was part of the appeal in Sacramento, sources said. Donte DiVincenzo is likely headed elsewhere after the Kings declined to tender a $6.6 million qualifying offer prior to the start of free agency, making him an unrestricted free agent. That leaves the Kings with a backcourt rotation featuring Fox, Monk, Davion Mitchell, Terence Davis and Justin Holiday.

Time will tell if Fox and Monk can recreate the magic they shared at Kentucky, but people close to them believe they can.

“Those guys have a connection,” one source said. “They’ll be able to figure it out.”