Kings’ Keegan Murray Out 4-6 Weeks With Torn Thumb Ligament

Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the left thumb and will undergo surgery and be re-evaluated in approximately four to six weeks, the team announced Sunday.

Keegan Murray To Miss At Least First 10 Games Of Regular Season

Murray reportedly sustained the injury during a preseason loss in Portland on Friday night, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater. The 25-year-old is expected to miss at least the first 10 games of the 2025-26 season.

According to Basketball Reference, Murray has been healthy for most of his NBA career, as the Iowa product has appeared in 233 out of a possible 246 games his first three seasons.

In 76 games (all starts) last season, Murray averaged 12.4 points, 1.4 assists, and career highs of 6.7 rebounds and 34.3 minutes per contest. He also shot 44.4% from the field, 34.3% from deep, and a career-best 83.3% at the foul line.

Keegan Murray suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb in the Kings’ preseason game in Portland last night. He’ll miss 4-6 weeks, the team says. Murray, entering his fourth season, is extension eligible in the next week.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 12, 2025

However, the stats show that Murray regressed from the 2023-24 campaign, posting a career low in field goal rate, 3-point percentage, true shooting percentage (55.3%), and usage rate (15%).

Despite his offensive struggles, Murray defended and held 2025 All-Stars to 46% effective field goal percentage. That ranked sixth best among 76 players to defend at least 100 shots, per Second Spectrum.

Murray Remains Eligible For Contract Extension

In addition, Murray is one of seven players to make at least 150 3-pointers in each of his first three seasons. He has made 543 career 3s in 233 games (231 starts) with Sacramento.

A fair argument can be made that Murray is worthy of a contract extension.

Since Murray is not a max player, the Kings could potentially put off extension talks with his representatives until Oct. 21, the last day eligible to sign a new contract.

A comparable extension is the four-year $112 million contract Trey Murphy III signed with New Orleans last October, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Veteran guard Malik Monk, forward Dario Saric, fourth-year guard Keon Ellis, and rookie Nique Clifford are among the candidates who could start in Murray’s place.

Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis are the four other projected starters.

Russell Westbrook, Kings Have Strong Mutual Interest

Murray’s injury comes just days after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday’s edition of NBA Today that there is “strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings.”

“The Kings have a need for a reserve point guard. They were 29th in bench points, 29th in bench assists last season. Russell Westbrook helps with that, and he’s got relationships across that organization,” Charania said.

“Domantas Sabonis, he’s close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schroder as well. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, they have L.A. ties as well.

“B.J. Armstrong, the new assistant general manager there, he knows B.J. Armstrong from the agency side, and he does have respect with Scott Perry, their new general manager, and Doug Christie, their new head coach. We’ll see if a deal gets done before the start of the season or during this upcoming year.”

The Kings would be Westbrook’s sixth team in the last seven campaigns.

In 75 games (36 starts) with the Nuggets last season, Westbrook averaged a career-low 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 27.9 minutes per contest while shooting 44.9% from the floor and 32.3% from beyond the arc.