Kings’ Keegan Murray Suffers Injury, Will Be Out for Several Weeks
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during a preseason game in Portland on Friday night, the team announced.
Murray will undergo surgery and be reevaluated in four to six weeks, ruling out the Kings’ young power forward for at least the first 10 games of the regular season.
This injury comes at a crucial time 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 pillar of durability early in his NBA career, appearing in 233 of a possible 246 games in his first three seasons, starting 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 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, meaning the Kings will be without a crucial spacer and their most reliable defender in the first month.
Dario Saric, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and rookie Nique Clifford are among the candidates who could start in Murray’s place. Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis are the other four expected starters.
