After a lost season due to injuries, the Sacramento Kings need to take a hard look at Keegan Murray. They'll need to decide if he fits their future plans, particularly if he's becoming more injury-prone. Depending on how the first few months of the season go, Murray could be a trade-deadline move.
Calling Murray's 2025-2026 season rough does not do it justice. He didn't even get to start it right, thanks to a pre-season injury that required surgery and kept him on the shelf for weeks. Ultimately, he only played 23 out of 82 games during the season due to a variety of injuries.
Almost immediately before his pre-season injury, the Kings handed Murray a five-year rookie contract extension worth $140 million. It starts with the 2026-2027 season. That has to be weighing on the front office now that a few things have changed on the Kings' roster.
The beginning of the Sacramento rebuild
In Murray's absence, the Kings got started on their rebuild process. Rookies Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell stepped into the spotlight. Devin Carter and Daeqwon Plowden started showing their true potential. And Sacramento began making other small moves towards the future.
Alongside veterans like Russell Westbrook and Precious Achiuwa, this group started to build a real rhythm towards the end of the season. They were actually winning with signs of a Kings' culture developing with them. There was even a little sustained hope every time the beam got lit.
All of this growth will continue into the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency as the Kings chart a course into the future. That will require trying to move some of their heftier contracts, like Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and even DeMar DeRozan. Murray may also be part of that group.
Is Keegan Murry part of the rebuild or an obstacle to it?
The first two or three months of the 2026-2027 season will be key to Murray's future. Sacramento's front office and coaching staff will use that time to see how he fits into this rebuild process. If he does, great. If not, the trade deadline for next season is on February 11, 2027.
At his healthiest, Murray is a great defender who is incredibly inconsistent on offense. Those trends remained apparent in the few games he did play in 2025-2026. If he's now having injury issues on top of the flaws in his game, that $140 million he's being paid becomes a huge problem for the Kings.
Depending on how the draft, free agency, and various desired trades pan out, there is a real chance the Kings will try to move Murray around the upcoming trade deadline. And if Murray remains on the IR a lot during the first half of the season, it's almost a lock the Kings will try to trade him.
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