Keegan Murray Suffers Injury and Will Be Reevaluated
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during a preseason game against Portland last Friday night. The team announced that Murray underwent surgery on Monday and will be reevaluated in four to six weeks.
This injury will keep the young power forward of the Kings out of action for at least the first 10 games of the regular season.
The injury comes at a crucial moment in Murray’s career. Approaching 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 no agreement is 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 the projected starting forward for a Kings team looking to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. He has made 543 career three-pointers and has become a versatile perimeter defender, meaning the Kings will be without a key shooter and their most reliable defender in the first month of the season.
Among the candidates who could fill Murray’s position as a starter are veteran forward Dario Saric, veteran guard Malik Monk, fourth-year guard Keon Ellis, and rookie Nique Clifford. The other four expected starters are Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis.
