Last year, the Sacramento Kings put a lot of their eggs in Keegan Murray's basket, only to watch him miss most of the season with injuries. After a successful California Classic debut, the Kings are already looking more and more like Darius Acuff's team. How and if Murray fits in remains to be seen.
The 2025-2026 season was technically Murray's fourth in the NBA since being drafted by the Kings in 2022. "Technically" is an important word in this context as Murray was on the shelf for the vast majority of the season. He only ended up playing 23 out of 82 games, meaning he wasn't around.
Even more important, Murray was inconsistent at absolute best when he was healthy enough to play. Sure, part of that was likely due to him being on the bench so much that he couldn't find a rhythm. That being said, inconsitency has been an issue with Murray's game for his entire NBA career.
On October 15, 2025, the Kings signed Murray to a five-year extension worth $140 million that would see him stay with the franchise through the 2030-2031 season. It was put in place when he was the face and the future of the franchise, before the injuries and the ostensibly lost season.
Golden 1 Center may already be Darius Acuff's house
Things have changed in his absence. Scott Perry started a full rebuild, drafting incredibly well in 2025 and 2026. On top of that, the Kings have made some smart trades, signed good free agents, and kept a close eye on undrafted players as well as the G League. They are building towards something.
This includes the drafting of Acuff, a rookie point guard who is a massive offensive threat. Once he gets up to full NBA speed and the Kings cement a roster around him, Acuff will be the on court leader they once hoped De'Aaron Fox would be. That was the role the franchise was preparing Murray for.
It's important to understand how quickly the NBA moves. Murray's window to cement himself as the leader of this team likely passed him by when he was injured. The Kings are already moving on to Acuff, either intentionally or just by the nature of the way he plays the game.
Murray still fits into this team. It needs defensive-minded forwards who can deliver. That being said, the Kings have other players on the roster and in the pipeline to fill that role. The question now is if they think Murray is still worth that extension if he's not the face of the franchise.
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