Anti-drug suspension could cost the Hornets’ Malik Monk at least $27,000 per game
Charlotte Hornets guard Malik Monk said recently he wasn’t prepared to be an NBA player as a rookie in 2017, but he felt he was making big steps lately in maturity.
Wednesday became a difficult lesson for him that way, when the NBA suspended Monk indefinitely without pay for violation of the league’s anti-drug policy.
Coach James Borrego said Wednesday evening he hadn’t talked to Monk since the suspension was announced, but that Monk would have the full support of him and the franchise.
“All of us face different things in life; it’s how you respond,” Borrego said before the Hornets played the New York Knicks. “It’s my belief, knowing Malik, that he’ll respond the right way.
“(The suspension) does put us in a bind. But in the end, this could be a very positive story. I look forward to talking to him.”
The length of Monk’s suspension is open-ended, the NBA’s statement read, and “will continue until he is determined to be in full compliance” with the anti-drug policy.
Based on Monk’s salary this season of about $4 million, each game he misses could cost him at least $27,000, under the suspension formula in the collective bargaining agreement. The NBA’s announcement did not include any details on which drug was a factor Monk’s suspension.
Monk thrived of late, averaging 17.8 points in an 11-game stretch in which he shot 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range. He made the first start of his 2 1/2-season NBA career Tuesday in a road loss to the Indiana Pacers.
“Not just for a couple of games — he had a good month’s stretch here where he had been playing extremely well. I think (he was) our leading scorer the last 15 games,” Borrego said.
“This is a kid with a lot of upside. We’re going to miss that. But the No. 1 thing is that he takes care of himself right now and that gives him a shot to make it in this league.”
Monk entered the 2017 draft at 19 after a single season of college ball at Kentucky. He recently spoke with the Observer about how unprepared he was for the transition from small-town Arkansas, to Lexington, Kentucky, to the NBA.
“You’ve got to know what 25-year-olds know when you’re 19,” Monk said Feb. 12 in Minneapolis. “I went to Kentucky, and I still wasn’t ready for the NBA.
“Some days you’re tired. Or your body hurts. Or you have a headache. And nobody wants to hear that. You’ve got to fight through that. That’s what I’ve really learned — that you’ve got to fight.”
Quickly following the league office’s announcement, the Hornets issued a brief statement: “We are disappointed in Malik’s decision-making that resulted in his suspension. As an organization, we do not condone his behavior. However, we are committed to supporting Malik during this time.”
The last time a Hornet was suspended under the anti-drug policy was in 2015, when center Al Jefferson missed five games.
The Hornets exercised a contract option on Monk before this season, guaranteeing him $5.34 million next season. He started Tuesday as a fill-in for Devonte Graham, who got a game off because Borrego said he was badly in need of rest.
Even in a developmental situation, out of the playoff race at 19-38, Monk’s suspension will cause some adjustment of the rotation. This probably means more minutes for rookies Cody and Caleb Martin and could mean bringing Dwayne Bacon back from an assignment with the Greensboro Swarm.
Bacon started the first 10 games of this season at shooting guard, then fell out of the rotation almost entirely in January. He requested a G-League assignment and has been with the Swarm the past week.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Anti-drug suspension could cost the Hornets’ Malik Monk at least $27,000 per game."
