Keegan Murray Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Melton, Kuminga, Murray, Christie, Brooks

November 26th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors assigned a trio of players to the G League on Wednesday, with guard De’Anthony Melton and forwards Jonathan Kuminga and Gui Santos all joining the Santa Cruz Warriors in order to scrimmage, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Santos was getting some conditioning work in, while Melton and Kuminga are in the final stages of injury recoveries.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors are optimistic that Melton will be able to make his season debut following an ACL tear during the first week of December. The veteran guard is due to be reevaluated this weekend.

As for Kuminga, who has been sidelined due to bilateral knee tendonitis, the hope is that he won’t have any setbacks during his scrimmages with Santa Cruz. If that’s the case, there’s an expectation that the fifth-year forward could be back on the court at some point during Golden State’s current home stand, which wraps up on December 2, Siegel reports.

We have more from around the Pacific:

The Kings have won two of three games since Keegan Murray made his season debut, and the fourth-year forward was especially effective in Monday’s overtime victory over Minnesota, with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Teammate DeMar DeRozan spoke after that win about what Murray’s return means to the team, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). “It’s everything,” DeRozan said. “Keegan is the key to this team. It’s his team. He’s one of those guys who’s going to be very, very special in this league and he’s showing it.”
While there have been some questions about Doug Christie‘s job security in Sacramento, Kings general manager Scott Perry told Sam Amick of The Athletic this week that he has “complete confidence” in Christie to “lead this team into better times.” Sacramento’s head coach appreciated the public show of support, according to Anderson. “His backing, the alignment from him, is huge,” Christie said. “He hasn’t said anything to me differently, so I’m glad that he said that (publicly). More than anything, it’s about us playing a style and a brand of basketball that Sacramento Kings fans can be proud of. On the path to that, there are a lot of steps to that, but first things first. I appreciate that from Scott. Obviously, when the boss speaks highly of you, it’s a good thing.”
Playing against the Rockets on Monday for the first time since Houston traded him to Phoenix over the summer, Suns forward Dillon Brooks talked trash to his former teammates and accused them of flopping, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. However, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka took it in stride, telling reporters that Brooks’ impact during his two years in Houston was “invaluable” and he doesn’t mind the forward’s tendency to push boundaries. “To bring in a veteran, like him and Fred (Van Vleet), to change the culture and environment, the competitiveness on a nightly basis,” Udoka said. “You’ve seen that happen here. I don’t mind at all. We both toe the line I guess at times, but he’s a guy that I love and have a ton of respect for.”

Kings Rumors: Murray, Clifford, Sabonis, LaVine, Ellis, Monk

November 23rd, 2025 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings pulled off an impressive win in Denver on Saturday night, upsetting the Nuggets by a score of 128-123. However, even after handing the Nuggets just their second home loss of the season, Sacramento has a 4-13 record, having dropped its previous eight games by an average margin of 23.4 points.

As a result, the Kings are very much open for business, writes Jake Fischer of Stein Line (Substack link). It’s still a little early for the in-season trade market to pick up, but Sacramento is willing to listen to inquiries on players “up and down” the roster, according to Fischer.

While most players on the Kings’ roster could be had for the right offer, Fischer identifies fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie guard Nique Clifford as a couple exceptions. Sources tell Fischer that both players are expected to be off limits this season, with the front office hoping that the young duo will be part of the long-term future in Sacramento. Murray and Clifford are the only two players on the roster whose contracts run beyond the 2027/28 season.

Domantas Sabonis is also something of a question mark, Fischer notes, since team owner Vivek Ranadive is a big fan of the veteran center, and Sabonis enjoys Sacramento and isn’t considered likely to ask for a trade. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Kings wouldn’t move him, but he’s on a maximum-salary contract and is viewed around the NBA as a negative defensively, Fischer explains, so it could be hard for the team to extract the kind of value it would want in a trade.

“It’s tough to pay a center that much who doesn’t protect the rim and doesn’t shoot threes — no matter how great of an offensive hub he can be,” one Western Conference executive told Fischer.

Here’s more on the Kings:

Besides Sacramento, the Warriors were the only other team to exhibit legitimate interest in Zach LaVine before he was traded out of Chicago last season, according to Fischer, who notes that Golden State – having acquired Jimmy Butler since then – won’t be in on LaVine now. LaVine’s maximum-salary contract will make him difficult to move for any real value, though Fischer hears that teams would have more interest if the high-scoring guard were willing to eliminate his $49MM player option for 2026/27 in favor of a multiyear deal that starts at a lower figure.
According to Fischer, the Kings’ former front office showed some interest in Trae Young, and LaVine’s camp made a push in the offseason to sell the Hawks on a deal that would’ve sent LaVine to Atlanta and Young to Sacramento. However, Fischer hears that general manager Scott Perry isn’t interested in pursuing Young, Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, or Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, none of whom fits the defense-first mindset the organization is prioritizing under the new regime.
“More than half the league” has called the Kings about guard Keon Ellis, a source tells The Stein Line. Teams around the NBA view Ellis as a “plug-and-play addition with two-way ability,” Fischer writes, noting that Ellis will become eligible for a contract extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2026. Fischer suggests Sacramento might be able to extract a first-round pick for Ellis; he could also be used to improve a package that includes a bigger contract like LaVine’s or DeMar DeRozan‘s.
The Pistons were viewed by several of Fischer’s sources as a potential landing spot for Malik Monk during the offseason, but “no one is saying that anymore,” he writes.

Kings’ Keegan Murray Expected To Make Season Debut Thursday

November 18th, 2025 at 5:37pm CST by Rory Maher

November 18: Murray is expected to make his season debut on Thursday vs. the Grizzlies, according to Anderson.

November 17: The Kings are optimistic that fourth-year forward Keegan Murray could make his season debut on Thursday in Memphis or on Saturday in Denver, reports Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Murray was assigned to the G League on Monday to practice with the Stockton Kings. The 25-year-old has been cleared for 5-on-5 contact drills and is expected to join the NBA team on Wednesday in Oklahoma City, a source tells Anderson.

It has been five weeks since Murray underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, an injury he sustained in a preseason game. At the time, the Kings said he would be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks; this is the first real update since then.

The fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Murray signed a five-year, $140MM rookie scale extension a few days after he underwent surgery. While some people around the league were reportedly surprised at how lucrative the deal was, cap expert Yossi Gozlan viewed it as “sensible” and Sam Amick of The Athletic recently reported that rival teams value Murray as well.

As Anderson observes, the Kings have struggled mightily without their best defender, while Murray’s absence exposed a glaring lack of forward depth on the roster. Sacramento is currently just 3-11, which is the second-worst record in the Western Conference.

Rival Teams Would Have Interest In Domantas Sabonis Trade

November 14th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings would have several interested suitors if they decide to part with Domantas Sabonis, Sam Amick of the Athletic said during a recent appearance on SacTown Sports (YouTube link; hat tip to Real GM).

“So, as it relates to Sabonis, my understanding is there are at least a few teams that have raised their hand to say, ‘Yeah, he’s somebody we’d want to talk about,’” Amick told the hosts. “I’ve said it on your show before — I don’t have that sort of information about Zach (LaVine).”

Sabonis is currently making $42.3MM and still has two more seasons left on the four-year extension he signed in 2023. He’ll earn $45.5MM in 2026/27 and $48.6MM in 2027/28 before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2028.

Sabonis, 29, is a three-time All-Star who has led the league in rebounding the past three years. He’s gotten off to a slow start this season as his numbers are down across the board at 15.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists through nine games, but he’s still a highly valued big man.

The Kings have been an early disappointment at 3-9 and could be considering changes, either in an effort to salvage the season or to tank in hopes of landing a high pick in a strong draft.

As Amick indicates, it could be much easier to trade Sabonis than LaVine, who’s making $47.5MM and holds a $49MM player option for next season. The Bulls spent months trying to find a taker for LaVine before Sacramento agreed to acquire him as part of a three-team trade in February.

Amick also said the Kings were “comfortable” giving Keegan Murray a five-year rookie scale extension because “they not only valued him within their program, but they learned that he’s got a lot of value around the league.” Murray hasn’t played yet this season after undergoing thumb surgery in October.

Kings Notes: Westbrook, Murray, Future, Maxiell

October 22nd, 2025 at 9:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

After signing with the Kings last week, veteran point guard Russell Westbrook spoke on Sunday about why and how he chose Sacramento and what his future with the team looks like.

“I don’t know how it all came together so quickly,” Westbrook said (Twitter video link via Matt George of ABC10). “Obviously, I have a lot of friends and guys that I’ve played with on this team, familiarity with our games and different things like that.”

He also discussed what he believes his role to be as a leader in a locker room.

“Leadership is not just something that, unfortunately, you guys see on the floor, but my job and one of my traits as a leader is to be able to learn about guys’ journeys off the floor, how they got to this point, what inspires them, what pushes them,” he said. “To me, that’s what I look forward to most in any part of my journey: being able to impact and inspire someone daily… to run into somebody and maybe I can inspire them to do something that they didn’t think they could do. So I look forward to doing that.”

The Kings are widely projected to be a lottery team in 2025/26, but Westbrook suggested he views those low expectations from outside observers as a source of motivation entering the season. He also squashed any idea of this being his last season, responding, simply, “Yeah, right.”

We have more Kings notes:

Despite some mixed reactions from around the league to the five-year, $140MM deal, the Kings probably couldn’t afford not to extend Keegan Murray, who is the team’s most successful homegrown talent in recent years who wasn’t traded away (or at least, hasn’t been traded yet), writes Yossi Gozlan for The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan refers to Murray’s new salary, which will account for around 14-15% of the salary cap moving forward, “probably the most sensible on the roster” relative to similar players around the league.
In the same article, Gozlan notes that the Kings are now looking at a projected 2026/27 payroll surpassing $200MM, making them a luxury tax team if they don’t make any major changes. On a team without a clear pathway towards competing in the Western Conference, Gozlan considers Murray the only veteran on the roster with clear long-term security.
Former Piston Jason Maxiell has joined the organization as an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). Maxiell played 10 years in the NBA, eight of which were spent with Detroit, with whom he averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 523 games.

Kings Notes: Westbrook, Sabonis, Carter, Murray

October 18th, 2025 at 3:12pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings signaled throughout the offseason that they wanted to create an opening in their backcourt before signing a veteran point guard, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

However, as Fischer details, Sacramento’s front office was seemingly underwhelmed with the team’s point guard depth during training camp and preseason, and decided to sign Russell Westbrook without making another roster move. Westbrook’s minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed.

According to Fischer, head coach Doug Christie is a fan of Westbrook’s toughness and all-out playing style. The nine-time All-Star was also praised by new GM Scott Perry when the signing was announced on Thursday.

The Kings will formally introduce Westbrook as a member of the team at a press conference on Sunday, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Here are a few more notes and rumors on the Kings:

Star center Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in one week, the team announced today (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). The injury means Sabonis will miss — at minimum — Sacramento’s first two regular season games. The Lithuanian big man suffered the hamstring injury on Wednesday.
Despite being a lottery pick (No. 13 overall) a year ago, second-year guard Devin Carter seems likely to be moved at some point in the future, according to Fischer, who points out that the former Providence star was involved in trade rumors through the summer and was drafted by the previous front office regime. Carter, whose rookie season was delayed after he underwent shoulder surgery last summer, struggled in four preseason games this fall, averaging 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 15.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .375/.100/.500. The Kings picked up his third-year option a few days ago, locking in Carter’s $5.16MM salary for ’26/27.
Several rival teams were surprised that Sacramento made such a lucrative long-term commitment to Keegan Murray, Fischer adds. The Kings formally signed Murray on Thursday to a five-year rookie scale extension that is reportedly worth $140MM. According to Fischer, many players — both free agents and extension candidates — have been struggling to land contracts north of $25MM per year; Murray’s new deal, which begins in 2026/27, will pay him $28MM annually. The 25-year-old forward will likely be out until at least mid-November after undergoing thumb surgery earlier this week.

Kings Sign To Keegan Murray To Five-Year Extension

October 16th, 2025 at 3:34pm CST by Eli Cohen

October 16: Murray’s extension with the Kings is now official, per the team (link to press release).

“Keegan is one of the most versatile players in the league,” Kings general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. “He’s shown that he can defend multiple positions and efficiently shoot the ball from the perimeter. Keegan is also a young man of high character who reflects the vision we’re shaping in Sacramento.”

October 15: The Kings have agreed to sign Keegan Murray to a five-year, $140MM rookie contract extension, reports Shams Charania for ESPN (via Twitter).

Murray, who turned 25 in August, was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa. He holds career averages of 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on .451/.372/.812 shooting splits.

Murray experienced a breakout sophomore season in 2023/24, averaging 15.2 PPG and 5.5 RPG while recording a steal and nearly a block per game. However, he took a slight step back in his third year last season as Sacramento brought in more offensive firepower around him in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

Murray has shown the potential to be a high-level shooter and wing defender, and spoke recently about his excitement for Dennis Schröder to take on some of the tougher backcourt assignments, which would free him up to defend opposing teams’ best wings and forwards.

He also recently stated his two goals for the season: to hit at least 40% of his threes and to win the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Murray recently underwent surgery to address a torn thumb ligament and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

James Ham of The Kings Beat notes (via Twitter) that Murray is expected to officially sign his new contract in the next 24-to-48 hours, ahead of Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline. ESPN’s Anthony Slater adds (via Twitter) that there are no team or player options on the five-year deal, which will run through 2030/31.

Murray is the sixth player this offseason to agree to a rookie scale extension, joining Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., Heat forward Nikola Jovic, and Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. He’s now locked into the Kings’ long-term plans, with the longest-running contract on the team.

Keegan Murray Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Out At Least 4-6 Weeks

October 13th, 2025 at 8:59pm CST by Luke Adams

October 13: Murray underwent successful surgery on Monday, according to the Kings (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). He will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks.

October 12: 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.

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.

Kings’ Keegan Murray Exits Friday’s Game With Thumb Injury

October 11th, 2025 at 8:06am CST by Rory Maher

Kings forward Keegan Murray, who is entering his fourth NBA season and is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 20, suffered a left thumb injury in Friday’s preseason loss to Portland, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays.

Murray sustained the injury late in the second quarter, Anderson writes, with Sacramento later ruling him out for the second half. The 25-year-old compiled nine points, five rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes of action before leaving the contest.

It’s possible the Kings may simply have been exercising an abundance of caution by ending Murray’s night early. Still, it’s never a great sign when a starter is forced out of a game, preseason or otherwise.

We’ll have to wait for further updates to see if Murray will miss additional time as a result of the left thumb issue.

James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat notes (via Twitter) that forward/center Dario Saric was an unexpected bright spot for Sacramento in the one-point loss. The Croatian veteran only appeared in 16 games for the Nuggets last season and didn’t play in the Kings’ first preseason contest, but he went 4-of-4 from three-point range en route to 14 points in 14 minutes on Friday.

Kings Notes: Murray, Raynaud, Clifford, Carter, Defense

October 3rd, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Keegan Murray has had an up-and-down start to his career with the Kings after being selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2022 draft, from starting in a playoff Game 7 as a rookie to two straight ninth-seed finishes as the team added more scoring options, resulting in a decline in his offensive responsibilities. However, going into training camp, the 6’8″ wing is excited about the changes head coach Doug Christie has implemented.

“I feel like there’s more movement going around, which we didn’t have last year,” he said after practice, per Sean Cunningham of KCRA News (Twitter video link).

Murray spoke about his offensive role and how he can contribute on a team with so many offensive shot creators, incuding Dennis Schröder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis.

“They’re using me more than they did last year, just coming out of the corner and in transition and things like that,” he said. “Just knocking down shots, being able to have the ball, touch the ball is the biggest thing when you’re talking about flow. When you don’t touch the ball for five minutes, it’s hard to get into a flow.”

Last season, Murray saw his shot attempts drop from 12.7 per game in 2023/24 to 10.8 while his usage rate fell to a career-low 15.0%.

According to Murray, Christie’s stated directive to shoot 10 threes a game is less a specific goal and more a reminder to him to stay aggressive at all times and look for his shot. He also noted that the addition of Schröder will help with his defensive workload, as he can still focus on the opposing team’s top perimeter scorer without having to defend as many point guards as he did last season.

We have more notes from around the Kings’ training camp:

Christie spoke highly about rookie center Maxime Raynaud and what he brings to the team. “He’s a super-skilled big man that has the ability to do a lot of different things on the floor,” Christie said after training camp (Twitter video link via ABC10’s Matt George). He noted that the seven-footer will have to adjust to the NBA’s physicality and floated the idea that Raynaud’s ability to shoot could allow him to play the four at times next to Sabonis. Overall, Christie was impressed by the rookie’s training camp performance. “He’s been great in practice,” Christie said. “He talks at a high level, his communication skills are great, and I think his teammates love him. His passing, his shooting, he’s done well.”
In the same media session, Christie spoke about rookie Nique Clifford. Clifford was named to the All-Summer League First Team after averaging 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 45.8% shooting from three, and that versatility was the main point Christie hit on when discussing how he could use the 23-year-old wing. “Do I see him playing some point guard?” Christie asked. “Yes, because of his skill set, but he’s also gotta be out there with a secondary ball-handler… It’s good for him to face Dennis in practice, because that’s about as high a level [point guard defender] as you’re gonna see in the NBA… his skill set says to me that he can play all the perimeter positions.”
Finally, Christie spoke about 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter, who was limited by injuries to just 36 games as a rookie. Carter struggled to find a rhythm during Summer League, posting shooting splits of .405/.289/.593, but Christie is unconcerned. “Devin has grown immensely from Summer League to now,” the Kings’ coach said. “He’s in way better shape. He’s understanding and reading the game better. From the point guard position, he’s beginning to understand things. When you’re at the free throw line, you’re already calling out the play, you’ve got something in your mind, what are we running? On defense, making sure everyone’s set. And a guy like Dennis is going to help him too because [Carter]’s not a natural point guard, but he’s gonna play that position sometimes… and he’s fearless, he’s not scared of the moment.”
Standout backup guard Keon Ellis spoke about the team’s defensive areas of focus in training camp, tweets George (video link). “I think just certain situations, not over-helping when you don’t need to, to give other teams advantages,” he said. “He’s really trying to emphasize everyone picking up 94 feet. It’s tough, but that’s kind of what you have to do to win. So that, and being physical, making sure on every catch you’re up, you’re getting a hand on them so they know you’re there.“