Keegan Murray’s season might be over, giving him an early end to what’s been a terrible 2025-26 campaign for the Sacramento Kings.
The team announced Friday that Murray will be out for at least two weeks with a “mild” ankle sprain revealed by an MRI and will be re-evaluated after that period. With 21 games remaining in the regular season and the Kings carrying the NBA’s worst record at 14-47, it’s worth asking whether or not Murray will eventually be shut down.
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Murray, 25, has slogged through a particularly difficult season, appearing in only 23 games while struggling through calf and back injuries, a torn UCL in his left thumb (sidelining him for 15 games) and a left ankle sprain. That ankle sprain kept Murray out for 20 games until he returned last week.
The fourth-year star made it through three full games before he aggravated the injury Wednesday versus the Houston Rockets. Jumping up to contest a shot by Clint Capela, Murray landed awkwardly on his left leg and subsequently left the game after playing only nine minutes.
Murray was one of four players who didn’t play in Thursday’s 130-121 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Zach LaVine (torn tendon, finger), Domantas Sabonis (torn meniscus, knee) and De’Andre Hunter (detached retina) have each undergone season-ending surgery. Russell Westbrook is day-to-day with a right thigh contusion and Malik Monk has been dealing with a sore right ankle (though he played versus Dallas).
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In his 23 games, Murray scored 14 points per game, the second-highest average of his career, with 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists. However, his 27% shooting on 3-pointers is the lowest of his four seasons.
Before winning two of their past three games, the Kings had lost a franchise-record 16 consecutive games. That leaves them with the NBA’s worst record and one of the teams holding the best odds (14%) to win the NBA Draft Lottery, joining the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers.
Murray, under contract through the 2030-31 season after signing a five-year, $140 million contract extension in October, will presumably be one of the key pieces in a Kings rebuild along with whichever prospect the team selects.
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In an unfortunate bit of timing, Murray’s status was announced a day after his rookie record for 3-pointers in a season was broken by the Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel.