The agreement is now in place for Keegan Murray.
The Sacramento Kings and Murray came to an understanding on Wednesday afternoon, securing a five-year rookie contract extension valued at $140 million, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
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This autumn marked Murray’s eligibility for a rookie extension. The deadline for him and the Kings to finalize the deal was October 21. He was proceeding into the last year of his original four-year agreement, worth $36.3 million.
The Kings made Murray their No. 4 overall selection in the 2022 draft, coming from Iowa. Throughout his time in the league, he has posted averages of 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, with a 3-point shooting percentage of 37%. These stats suggested he would receive an extension similar to Trey Murphy III’s four-year, $112 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, or Alperen Şengün’s five-year, $185 million agreement with the Houston Rockets.
During his initial three seasons, the Kings’ standing in the Western Conference has shifted from the third-best to a ninth-place finish in the last two seasons. Sacramento earned a spot in the play-in tournament last season. In 2024, the Kings were victorious over the Golden State Warriors before being ousted by the New Orleans Pelicans. The previous season saw Sacramento fall to the Dallas Mavericks.
Murray’s scoring contribution has remained below the top three players on the Kings’ roster. Last season, he shared the court with prominent scorers like DeMar DeRozan (22.2 ppg) and Zach LaVine (22.4 ppg), and that setup is anticipated to continue into the upcoming campaign. He established a league record for the most 3-pointers made by a rookie, totaling 206 with a shooting percentage of 41%. However, it is possible that this was an exceptional case, and his performance was susceptible to decline.
Murray has consistently ranked as the team’s second-highest rebounder, trailing only Domantas Sabonis. Furthermore, and perhaps crucially, Murray’s defensive skills have shown improvement over the course of his career. He has demonstrated effectiveness in isolation situations, frequently facing off against some of the league’s elite scorers such as Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić, and Donovan Mitchell.
Murray is expected to miss the beginning of the season while mending from a torn UCL in his left thumb. His anticipated recovery timeline is four to six weeks, placing him on track to return in late November. The extension agreement with Murray represents the second noteworthy transaction completed by the Kings on Wednesday. They also finalized an agreement to bring in veteran guard Russell Westbrook on a one-year contract worth $3.6 million.
The Kings are scheduled to commence the regular season on October 22 against the Phoenix Suns.
