EL SEGUNDO — Frank Vogel was fired. Russell Westbrook presented a list of gripes. LeBron James re-committed to the Lakers. Rob Pelinka said the roster falls on him.

Monday was an eventful day in Lakerland, and the biggest figures on the beat made a ton of news. But down the roster, there were interesting insights and other newsy elements to digest that you might have missed:

Monk’s free agency: Exit interviews can be an overly rosy look forward, and maybe in that spirit, what Malik Monk said about his impending free agency should be taken with a grain of salt. But it’s clear that the Lakers will have a chance to retain him, perhaps even at a discount to what his market value could be.

Monk was the breakout role player of the season, brought in essentially on his second strike after an uninspiring start in Charlotte among an otherwise spectacular draft class. But the 24-year-old caught on quickly, winding up with a career-best 13.8 points and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from 3-point range. He was a crowd favorite, lighting up the atmosphere with big dunks or momentum-changing 3-pointers.

The Lakers got him on the cheap, just a minimum contract when nobody else wanted him. Next summer is not supposed to be the same case. But in what should be music to Pelinka’s ears, Monk said money is not the top factor in his decision.

“It’s really me being comfortable, feeling like at home, whether that’s here or somewhere else with a little money, or more money,” he said. “It’s really me feeling at home most of the time. The money matters, but I know what I can do on the court, and I can go out there and earn that. And I think I proved that, so, yeah, it really just me feeling at home and wanted.”

There’s little doubt that the Lakers want him back – it’s a matter of paying him back. Already pressed up against the salary cap, the Lakers can either pay him a 20% increase of last year’s salary (way too low) or use up to a $5.7 million mid-level exception (which they might want to use on other players, and still might be too low). A luxury tax will be layered on every dollar they spend, so the Lakers are likely to be shrewd about how they use their exceptions. ESPN reported in March that Monk is expected to fetch between $5 million to $10 million per year in free agency this summer.

But the X-factors seem to be Monk’s gratitude to the Lakers for bringing him in when no one else had positioned to as well as the bonds he formed with veterans.

“Just knowing that I had an organization behind me, man, made me way more comfortable to go do things like that,” he said. “And it’s hard to be down when you have Bron on your team, Russ, A.D., Melo, Dwight, all these vets, man, that had not so good years and they know how to deal with things like that. So it wasn’t that hard on me because I’ve got a lot of support, man, from those guys.”

It will be interesting to see if Monk’s tune changes once he meets with his agent and starts getting a clear picture of what his value could be this summer, but for now, hope springs eternal.

Nunn will opt in: Reporters got a chance to talk to Kendrick Nunn for the first time since October, after a right knee bone bruise kept him out all season long. The most critical piece of that session to the Lakers’ future is that he will definitely pick up his $5.2 million player option this summer, for obvious reasons.

“Knowing that I just took this entire year off,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer for me to opt in.”

Nunn will eat into the Lakers’ cap for next season, but the silver lining there is he is starting to feel healthy. The team envisioned the 26-year-old Chicago native as a secondary ball-handler and microwave scorer who could offer toughness – and next season, Nunn might be that if the Lakers keep him in the fold (as opposed to trying to trade him).

He was able to give a little more insight into the nature of his injury: Nunn felt the bone bruise immediately after twisting his ankle. An MRI showed no further injury, but it just took forever to heal. Nunn said he learned his injury was in part because he over-trained and didn’t commit enough to recovery, such as using ice after games: “Wear and tear is pretty much what it is.”

He went through ramp-ups in January and March, but the knee didn’t react well either time, forcing him to be patient as frustrating as that was. He found himself reflecting often as to how he might have helped the Lakers this season.

“I mean I had those thoughts – still do,” he said. “Just knowing that I can contribute in many ways. Just bring that youth ability to this roster was a big one for me. The effort plays and my tenacity and the way I play the game could have definitely helped us.”

What vets might be back? There’s a pretty short list of the older role players who Lakers fans might be interested in seeing suit up again. Carmelo Anthony is probably the clear standout, averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and shooting 37.5% from behind the arc. He was an even better player at home than on the road, firing up the crowd and spawning the legend of “Crypto Melo.” But when asked if he wanted to come back, the 10-time All-Star forward sounded as if his Lakers days were behind him.

“This was another situation where I can say I’ve experienced it,” he said. “I can finally check the box – played with ’Bron. Played with A.D. We had, on paper, we were phenomenal on paper. Me personally, I had a good year, personally.”

Check the box? So he doesn’t need to recheck it? On cross-examination, Anthony tried to push back, but not very hard, saying that regardless of what happens in the future, he has the experience of playing with LeBron and for the Lakers on his resume. But he also had an interesting answer to his priorities for the rest of his career that sounded like title-chasing isn’t the main thing.

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“If I gotta be unhappy to try to go fight and win a championship, I don’t want that,” he said. “I don’t want that unhappiness. I don’t want (bad) energy around me. So do I want a championship? Hell yeah. I don’t think that’s a question. I don’t even have to answer that. But I think at this point in my career, it’s about just being happy and being able to wake up and come to work every day with a good attitude. Being positive. Bringing guys along with you. Teaching, talking, learning. Those are things that I actually look forward to now at this point in my career.”

On the other hand, Dwight Howard might lobby the front office for a fourth season, this one without any gap years. The 36-year-old center showed a lot of signs of aging, with some terrific games and some pretty miserable ones. His 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds were career-lows, but he also had some throwback nights including five double-doubles.

Hang up the spurs? No, Howard said he sees his career lasting “a couple years” yet. It’s not clear whether the Lakers would welcome him back (as far as backup centers go, there could be younger options available), but he sounded ready for another run.

“I want to be cemented somewhere,” he said. “Love being here, love the fans, love having a good time. I just want, like, an opportunity to where I can really go out with a bang. … I want an opportunity where I can show my skills and talent, do it in the right way, but also win.”