With the NBA 2K26 Summer League in the rearview mirror, reports continue to emerge from reporters who attended the event and spoke with various league executives.
Spotrac’s Keith Smith wrote ‘Western Conference Summer League Notes‘ that included a Sacramento Kings executive commenting on potential extensions for Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis.
New general manager Scott Perry obviously has seen Murray and Ellis from afar, but getting to know them better while attempting to negotiate their value can be a tricky situation.
One thing is for sure, Perry’s top priority for next season is building an identity in Sacramento centered around six core principles.
Competitive, tough, team-oriented, disciplined, accountable, and professional. He’s repeated that tirelessly.
It seems as though Murray (24) and Ellis (25) fit that mold, while also being two of the few rostered players with greater upside.
A “Kings front office executive” told Smith that they’re “hopeful that we can get something done that keeps him in Sacramento for a long time.”
“We’re so happy with Keegan and his development. He’s had a tough role every year, really. As a rookie, we asked him to shoot a lot more. Last year, he was often the fourth or fifth option. For a young guy, that can be hard to adjust to. But to his credit, Keegan never balked. We feel like he’s a top defender as his position and the offense is there. It’s on us to make sure we don’t let him go too long without getting involved,” a Kings front office executive said. “As far as an extension goes, Keegan and his reps know how we feel about him. We’re hopeful that we can get something done that keeps him in Sacramento for a long time.”
It’s high praise for Murray, but also not a moment when many executives would say otherwise. Figuring out an agreeable wage for both sides is the assumed hold-up.
Jabari Smith Jr. (picked one selection before Murray in 2022) inked a five-year, $122-million extension with Houston this offseason. His numbers were nearly identical to Murray’s in the 2024-25 season.
As for Ellis, they acknowledged they “had a lot of discussion on the best way to handle things with Keon” and his $2.3-million team option for next season, which Sacramento chose to exercise.
“Ultimately, it’s a show of trust that we picked up his option, instead of making him a restricted free agent. That helped us add some talent this year, that we might not have been able to get otherwise. Now, we hope to get something done that keeps Keon in Sacramento, because he’s a really good player and different from all of our other guards,” a Sacramento front office executive said.
Ellis is currently extension-eligible, but if he does not come to an agreement with the franchise, he would become an unrestricted free agent.
With no reason to rush, unless either player is overly agitated with the drawn-out process, Perry has time to negotiate and evaluate what he believes to be proper value for Murray and Ellis.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
Falling short to the Hornets in the Summer League Finals may not have been an ideal ending for the Sacramento Kings, but they’ve received plenty of well-deserved recognition for their efforts in Las Vegas.
Nique Clifford and Isaac Jones earned recognition as the NBA announced their NBA 2K26 All-Summer League First and Second Teams on Tuesday.
Read More:
Nique Clifford, Isaac Jones named to NBA 2K26 All-Summer League Teams
Upcoming offseason schedule for the Sacramento Kings:
August TBD – Release of 2025-26 regular season schedule
September TBD – Start of NBA training camps for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, October 8th – Friday, October 17th – Saramento’s 2025-26 Preseason
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