Keegan Murray reminds us why the Kings refused to include him in an offseason trade

Keegan Murray has all the makings of someone who could be one of the best two-way role players in the association someday. His blend of size, shooting, perimeter defense, and rim protection show shades of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.

In the Kings' second preseason game against the Golden State Warriors (the team that they also played in their first game), Murray put up a bonkers stat line.

The beauty of this monster performance is that we aren't showcasing Murray's scoring and assist numbers. That's perfectly fine. We already have De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis to do that.

What the team really needs is players who can give them size, spacing, and secondary rim protection (to make up for Sabonis' shortcomings as a defender). Murray's steal and deflection numbers from the Warriors' game prove that he is more than capable of wearing this hat.

Keegan Murray should be untradeable

The Kings have had their chances to move Murray for a star player both during the 2023-24 season and this past offseason. However, time and time again, they have refused to do so.

Monte McNair and the rest of the front office were 100 percent right for choosing to keep Murray in these situations. If you're the Kings, you already have enough on-ball creation on your roster. You need great three-and-D players to give you lineup balance.

If you look at past champions, they all have one or two role players like Murray. The Boston Celtics had Derrick White. The Denver Nuggets had Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Golden State Warriors had Andrew Wiggins. The list goes on and on.

If the Kings are ever going to win in this era, they are going to need Murray in their ranks. So, there should be very, very few situations where they should even think about moving.