Portland Trail Blazers: 3 players to absolutely avoid in free agency
By Andy Quach
The Portland Trail Blazers certainly do not need to add Malik Monk in free agency
There certainly are teams that could use Malik Monk‘s incendiary scoring off their bench; the Portland Trail Blazers are not among them.
Monk actually had a nice year coming off the pine for the Charlotte Hornets in his fourth season. He averaged 20 points and 3.6 assists per 36-minutes in 2020-2021, while slashing 43/40/82. His scoring ability may actually command more money in free agency this year than the Blazers can afford.
Even if he is in Portland’s price range though, the last thing the Blazers need is another undersized, shoot-first guard on their roster. Between Dame, CJ McCollum, and Anfernee Simons, Rip City has all the guard scoring it could possibly need.
What Portland should be looking for in free agency is a sensible backup point guard; someone who knows how to run a basic offense, play defense, and can hit open shots. While Monk can certainly hit shots, open or not, his score-first mentality and small stature would make him a waste of a signing for the Blazers.
Portland should look elsewhere to add a reserve guard, perhaps Kris Dunn, Matthew Dellavedova, or TJ McConnell, because Malik Monk is the last player they need to add in free agency.