Kings’ Keegan Murray Suffers Thumb Injury
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during a preseason game against Portland on Friday night. The team announced this.
Murray underwent surgery on Monday and will be reevaluated in four to six weeks, which will leave the young Kings power forward out of action for at least the first 10 games of the regular season.
This injury comes at a crucial moment for Murray’s career. Entering his fourth season, he is eligible for a contract extension in the coming week. The deadline to reach an agreement with the Kings is October 20. If an agreement is not reached, Murray will enter restricted free agency next summer.
Murray has been a key player in terms of durability at the beginning of his NBA career, participating in 233 of 246 possible games in his first three seasons, starting in all but two of them. This ulnar collateral ligament tear is the most significant injury he has suffered as a professional.
Murray was expected to be the starting power forward for a Kings team trying to compete for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. He has made 543 career three-pointers and has become a versatile defender on the wing, which means the Kings will be without a crucial player for spacing the floor and their most reliable defender in the first month.
Among the candidates who could start in place of Murray are veteran forward Dario Saric, veteran guard Malik Monk, fourth-year guard Keon Ellis, and rookie Nique Clifford. Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis are the other four expected starters.
