Kings’ Keegan Murray Suffers Injury, Will Be Out for Several Weeks
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during a preseason game in Portland on Friday night. The team announced that Murray will undergo surgery and be reevaluated in four to six weeks.
This injury will keep Murray off the courts for at least the first 10 games of the regular season.
The 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 no agreement is reached, Murray will enter restricted free agency next summer.
Murray has been a key player in terms of durability in his NBA career, participating in 233 of 246 possible games in his first three seasons, and starting in all but two of them. This ulnar collateral ligament injury is the most significant 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 defender on the wing, meaning the Kings will be without a key floor-spacer and their most reliable defender in the first month.
Among the candidates to fill Murray’s position 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.
