As the Sacramento Kings get closer to the 2026-2027 regular season, there are a lot of topics of conversation surrounding them. Very little of that talk involves Keegan Murray. It's enough to make someone wonder if the forward has slipped from the spotlight in Sactown with all the new additions.
Murray spent most of last season on the bench due to a variety of injuries. Ultimately, he only played 23 games. That being said, Murray did manage to average 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. That's not bad considering he was always recovering from injury.
In his absence, the Kings have been making some changes. They have three rookies and three sophomores this season. They also added Precious Achiuwa as well as Russell Westbrook, who might be coming back for season two after all. It's not the same team it was a year ago.
How Murray fits into all of this will become apparent quite quickly once the season gets rolling. The problem right now is the talk about Murray. To be more precise, the complete lack of conversation surrounding Murray. The focus of both the front office and the media all seems to be elsewhere.
Murray has get the spotlight back on him fast
Just before 2025-2026, Murray was handed a five-year extension worth $140 million that theoretically keeps him in Sacramento through 2030-2031. The key word here is theoretically, as the Kings could decide to trade him if he continues to have issues or doesn't fit the new team.
A big part of that has to be getting everyone talking about him again. That means the roster, the coaching staff, the front office, the media, and, most importantly, the fans. And the only way he can do that is by staying healthy and on the court, and then playing consistently well.
The whole point of giving him that extension was making him the focus of the team. That was before the rebuild started and players like Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell took center stage. Murray doesn't need to steal it back, but he has to be in the mix if he wants to stay on this roster.
Keeping all of that in mind, the Kings cannot be afraid to pull the trigger on a trade if it's not working out. There are a lot of variables in play in 2026-2027 in Sactown. It's up to Murray to make sure he gets people talking about him quickly, and not because he's out injured yet again.
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