Malik Monk has been one of the few bright spots for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Simply put, the 24-year-old has been one of the best players on the roster for LA this year, which clearly says a lot about a team that has a handful of future Hall of Famers in the lineup.

Despite his strong play this season, Monk could still see himself parting ways with the Lakers this offseason. He is currently on a one-year deal that expires at the end of this campaign and quite ironically, it's actually his eye-catching performances this season that could see him out the door this summer. LA would likely want to keep the 6-foot-3 shooting guard for next season, but they could be hard-pressed in matching offers from opposing teams once Monk hits free agency.

For his part, Monk is just taking everything in stride. The fifth-year two-guard knows that nothing is guaranteed in the NBA and that at the moment, he could very well be playing his final games for the Lakers:

“Right now, looking over this pretty-ass city, I'll take that in, soak that in,” Monk said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Anything can happen, man. So I try to take in every little thing.”

Monk signed for the Lakers last summer on a single-season deal worth $1.7 million, which is now looking like a real bargain for LA. The former Kentucky standout will likely fetch a significantly higher price for his next deal and depending on how other teams view his value in the market, the Lakers could easily see themselves outpriced of a potential extension for Monk.

One thing we can say for sure is that Monk has made quite an impression on his teammates this season. This includes LeBron James, who recently revealed how important Monk has become for the Lakers:

“He brings a knockout punch that — to be completely honest with you — we haven't had on our roster since I got here,” he said. “Someone that can literally, if he makes one, it can be two, three, four, five in a row.”

He's built some lasting relationships with his teammates, too. According to Monk, however, one of the players he's become very close with is rookie Austin Reaves. These two actually have a lot in common — from sharing the same home state to being two young guns in a team filled with heavily experienced veterans. Monk revealed that he's been able to establish a very vocal relationship with Reaves:

“Two motherf—ers from Arkansas, man,” Monk says.

“S—, everything. Ups and downs. Rookie wall. Older guys yelling at the rookies because it's their fault. Everything they do, it's your fault out there because they know everything and you don't and when you mess up, you just got to take it. You got to deal with things like that. I talk to Austin almost every day.”

The Lakers have a big decision to make on Malik Monk this summer. Unfortunately for them, they do not have much maneuverability in terms of their limited cap space. In the end, even if they did not want to, LA might be forced to let Monk walk away.

For team general manager Rob Pelinka, however, it is clear that he's more than happy with how Monk has developed as an important role player for the Lakers this season. In fact, if it were up to him, Pelinka would want to keep Monk for the long haul:

“The partnership has been a win from both sides,” Pelinka says. “Both for the Lakers, in terms of the productivity he's had for us and then I think on his side, just showing people what he can do in big moments in big games. … He's a guy that we would see as hopefully a part of our future.”

Monk has his older brother, Marcus Monk, as his manager. Marcus has been integral in determining the future of his younger brother and he will be playing a key role once contract negotiations start in the offseason. Marcus revealed that LA already has an edge with Malik considering how things have gone for his younger brother in Hollywood:

“We're very loyal people,” Marcus says. “The Lakers were calling him nonstop once free agency opened. So we don't forget about that. On the other side, it is a business. … But I would love to see him in a Laker uniform.”

At the end of the day, it's all going to be about money. I have been pounding on this drum for pretty much this entire article, but there's just no other way of looking at it. As Marcus said, loyalty will be important, but so is the business side of this game.

Right now, though, Malik Monk is just enjoying the ride. He understands that his time could be fleeting and that anything can happen within the next few months.

“It's a beautiful experience, man,” he says. “I love it.”

Monk now has a few more months to prove his worth. He's literally playing for his future in this league — be it with the Lakers or otherwise.