Kings’ Keegan Murray Suffers Injury, Will Be Out for Several Weeks
Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray has suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during a preseason game against Portland on Friday night, the team announced.
Murray will need to undergo surgery and will be re-evaluated 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 they fail to reach an agreement, 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 the 246 possible games in his first three seasons, and starting in all of them, except for two. This ulnar collateral ligament tear is the most significant injury he has suffered as a professional.
Murray was expected to be the Kings’ starting power forward, a team looking to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. He has made 543 three-pointers in his career 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 for the first month of the season.
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.
