Kings Exercise Team Option on Young Star

The Sacramento Kings have put pen to paper for Keegan Murray, giving him a fourth year.

Sep 30, 2024; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during media day at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

In a move that surprised no one, the Sacramento Kings this week officially exercised the fourth-year option on forward Keegan Murray. The option is for the 2025-26 season, worth $11.1 million. The move was a formality. 

The Sacramento Kings have exercised the fourth-year team option on Keegan Murray, who will earn $11.1 million in 2025-26.

— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) October 3, 2024

After being drafted fourth overall in the 2022 NBA draft, Murray has shined in his two seasons in the California capitol and has blossomed into one of the best young forwards in the league as a key part of the Kings' plans for the present and the future. 

In his rookie season, Murray proved his ability as a bonafide three-point threat, setting the all-time record for three-pointers made by a rookie with 206. He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting while making the All-Rookie First Team. 

In his sophomore season, Murray improved his numbers from his rookie year by posting 15.2 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 1.0 steals per game while showing his potential to become an elite wing defender. 

The Kings see Murray as a key part of the future with All-Star potential. They have been unwilling to include him in trade talks, as multiple teams have inquired in the past year. 

Murray will look to make another leap in his third season and help the Kings get back into the postseason after narrowly missing out and losing in the Play-In Tournament to the New Orleans Pelicans.

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