Kings forward Keegan Murray has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, the team announced today in a press release.
Murray, who injured his thumb late in the second quarter of Friday’s preseason game vs. Portland, will undergo surgery to address the tear and will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks, according to the Kings.
It’s unfortunate timing for Murray, who is eligible to sign a rookie scale extension between now and October 20. While his injury likely won’t impact the Kings’ long-term view of him or significantly impact those negotiations, the 25-year-old won’t have the opportunity to make a final case for a new deal on the court this week in the team’s two remaining preseason games.
The fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Murray had a promising rookie season in which he averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, shot 41.1% from beyond the three-point line, and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting as he started 78 games for Sacramento.
The 6’8″ forward has remained a starter for the Kings in the two years since then and has improved as a defender, but hasn’t taken a step forward offensively. In 2024/25, he averaged 12.4 PPG on .444/.343/.833 shooting while playing a career-high 34.3 minutes per night.
If Murray, who is earning roughly $11.1MM this season, doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension by next Monday, he’ll be on track for free agency during the summer of 2026. The Kings would have to tender him a qualifying offer worth approximately $14.7MM to make him a restricted free agent at that time.
It’s unclear who will take Murray’s spot in the starting five while he recovers, but forward Nique Clifford started the second half in his place on Friday alongside Dennis Schröder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis. Dario Saric and Doug McDermott are among the team’s other options at forward — if head coach Doug Christie wants to roll with a guard-heavy lineup, he could make Malik Monk or Keon Ellis a starter.
Poor Kings fans.
My sincere best wishes for a full recovery.
This isnt his fault, but I feel like Murray has been very disappointing after his rookie season
He’s gotten much better defensively and with rebounding, but his offense has taken a hit.
Although this is a bit of a hit for the kings, it’s early in the season so it allows Christie to give other guys more time. Let’s see if Saric can slide into a starting role and be consistent. Also it’s a great opportunity for Christie to experiment with mall ball lineups with Monk playing with the starters.