[News] Keegan "Keegan Murray" Murray signs a 5-year 140 million Extension

hrdboild said:
I can see why anyone who doesn't watch the Kings regularly wouldn't realize Keegan's value. A lot of what he does on defense doesn't show up in the box scores and his shooting has gone through hot and cold stretches since his rookie season. Also his usage has been suppressed by having a lot of teammates who love to shoot the ball. There is some projection in this contract -- we're hoping he finds some consistency with the jumper and becomes more assertive -- but the tools are all there for him to be a star two-way forward in a couple years if he wants to be and I see it as a good sign that the vets around him are all trying to make him realize that.
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Yeah, if Keegan kind of sticks where he's at in terms of production he'll sink in value for sure. How much? Eh, not as much as some of the other unwise maneuvers made by this franchise over the years most likely. If the Kings win it won't matter if he does flatline but if the Kings don't get into that sum of all parts territory and start winning games as a team then every player on the roster will be viewed as just parts and we've already seen the value in some of the contracts Monte signed where the assumption was it was a great deal and it turns out it wasn't. The Kings routinely utilize that projection, gamble, and more often than not probably shouldn't have and a move for Kuminga was exactly that same mentality. Can't really complain about Keegan not getting that usage since at least the first year the Kings were winning but this season is the tipping point in terms of direction.
 
SacTownKid said:
Yeah, if Keegan kind of sticks where he's at in terms of production he'll sink in value for sure. How much? Eh, not as much as some of the other unwise maneuvers made by this franchise over the years most likely. If the Kings win it won't matter if he does flatline but if the Kings don't get into that sum of all parts territory and start winning games as a team then every player on the roster will be viewed as just parts and we've already seen the value in some of the contracts Monte signed where the assumption was it was a great deal and it turns out it wasn't. The Kings routinely utilize that projection, gamble, and more often than not probably shouldn't have and a move for Kuminga was exactly that same mentality. Can't really complain about Keegan not getting that usage since at least the first year the Kings were winning but this season is the tipping point in terms of direction.
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This is really the bottom line isn't it? The "overrated" perception eventually lands on everyone whose team isn't winning. Whether this Keegan contract ends up being more of the same or the beginning of a franchise turnaround will really depend on what happens next -- will Scott Perry and Doug Christie make enough of the right decisions to catapult this franchise back into a sustained multi-year playoff run or will they, like their forebears, only make some of the moves needed to make that happen and stall out before completing the puzzle?

Because even if Keegan transforms himself into a 25ppg perennial All-Star he will still carry the stigma of "empty numbers" unless/until the Kings become a team that the rest of the league has to take seriously. We saw it with DeMarcus, we saw it with Fox, and we saw it with every role-player signed to fill a role on a contract that "seemed like a good idea at the time" but eventually proved to be "negative trade value" when the next tear-down process began.
 
iowamcnabb said:
Aaron Gordon. I’ll say it again, that is who Keegan can and should be. Watching the Denver/State game and that is the type of player Keegan should strive 4. A sweet shooting four man who can occasionally go off on offense but makes his bones on defense.
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Aaron Gordon that can be an efficient high volume 3pt shooter is an excellent outcome for Keegan. He's probably pretty close to that now, tbh
 
iowamcnabb said:
Aaron Gordon. I’ll say it again, that is who Keegan can and should be. Watching the Denver/State game and that is the type of player Keegan should strive 4. A sweet shooting four man who can occasionally go off on offense but makes his bones on defense.
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Is Gordon still an Uber elite athlete? Thats something Keegan will never ever have.
 
SLAB said:
Is Gordon still an Uber elite athlete? Thats something Keegan will never ever have.
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I think he's mostly talking about role. No doubt Gordon has been a highlight dunk contest guy and in Orlando was allowed to develop into a legit playmaker. Keegan is totally different but role wise could be similar.
 
Kenyon Murray does not agree with me. He said he has been a a two most of his life with his brother Kris playing the 1 haha. He said that he will likely settle in as a 3 in the nba. Said he has been in Chicago all summer working on his handle. I’m curious who he was working with. All this from an interview he did with Allen Stiles.
 
We have reached the 4 week mark. Will he return to practice this week and start shooting? I’d have to assume that is coming soon
 
www.cbssports.com

Kings' Keegan Murray: Practicing in G League

Kings' Keegan Murray: Practicing in G League
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
Murray has been out all season after undergoing surgery in October to address a torn UCL in his left thumb, but his assignment to Stockton suggests that he'll take part in practice in the G League. While a target date for his 2025-26 debut hasn't been established, Murray may need just a handful of practices to get ramped up. Once he's deemed ready to play, Murray will likely supplant Keon Ellis in the Kings' starting five.

According to fantasy sites, he is expected to play in 1st of December, so at about 2 weeks from now.
 
megapoxy said:
www.cbssports.com

Kings' Keegan Murray: Practicing in G League

Kings' Keegan Murray: Practicing in G League
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
Murray has been out all season after undergoing surgery in October to address a torn UCL in his left thumb, but his assignment to Stockton suggests that he'll take part in practice in the G League. While a target date for his 2025-26 debut hasn't been established, Murray may need just a handful of practices to get ramped up. Once he's deemed ready to play, Murray will likely supplant Keon Ellis in the Kings' starting five.

According to fantasy sites, he is expected to play in 1st of December, so at about 2 weeks from now.
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"Murray will likely supplant Keon Ellis in the Kings' starting five." I'm not sure I'd give much credence to the "reporting" of this fantasy site.
 
megapoxy said:
www.cbssports.com

Kings' Keegan Murray: Practicing in G League

Kings' Keegan Murray: Practicing in G League
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
Murray has been out all season after undergoing surgery in October to address a torn UCL in his left thumb, but his assignment to Stockton suggests that he'll take part in practice in the G League. While a target date for his 2025-26 debut hasn't been established, Murray may need just a handful of practices to get ramped up. Once he's deemed ready to play, Murray will likely supplant Keon Ellis in the Kings' starting five.
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I think the main takeaway here, if the report is accurate, is that Keegan has been cleared for "basketball activities." The team is on the road right now, so it makes sense to practice with the Stockton Kings. That does not mean he will actually play any games with Stockton. What would be the point of that? A thumb injury will not affect his conditioning.

ESPN now puts his estimated return date as November 24, but those dates are rarely accurate.
 
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Keegan is now expected to make his season debut on Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacram...n-murray-make-season-debut-thursday-grizzlies

In the meantime, the Kings signed a suitable backup at power forward, Precious Achiuwa. He is shooting 54% from the field thus far, with 8.9 rebounds per 36 minutes. That should help Keegan in the first few games and going forward, as well.
 
Caccia said:
Keegan is now expected to make his season debut on Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacram...n-murray-make-season-debut-thursday-grizzlies

In the meantime, the Kings signed a suitable backup at power forward, Precious Achiuwa. He is shooting 54% from the field thus far, with 8.9 rebounds per 36 minutes. That should help Keegan in the first few games and going forward, as well.
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I don't like this. We need to lose another 10 games before I trust this team not to pivot back into win-now mode as soon as they look vaguely competitive. Maybe even 20 more.
 
hrdboild said:
I don't like this. We need to lose another 10 games before I trust this team not to pivot back into win-now mode as soon as they look vaguely competitive. Maybe even 20 more.
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I was content with him coming back mid-December. This can't be good for our chances to be bad.
 
hrdboild said:
I don't like this. We need to lose another 10 games before I trust this team not to pivot back into win-now mode as soon as they look vaguely competitive. Maybe even 20 more.
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I think realistically we are going to land in the 6-9 group no matter what we do unless we just rip off 7 in a row.

Indiana, Brooklyn, Washington and probably eventually Jazz can’t be out tanked. Charlotte it pretty young. New Orleans has plenty of talent and zero incentive to be bad but they are also an injury prone team. If we play .500 ball the rest of the way which feels impossible that’s 37-45 which would have been good for 11th in the standings last year. That’s our ceiling and we are unlikely to sniff that imo.
 
iowamcnabb said:
I think realistically we are going to land in the 6-9 group no matter what we do unless we just rip off 7 in a row.

Indiana, Brooklyn, Washington and probably eventually Jazz can’t be out tanked. Charlotte it pretty young. New Orleans has plenty of talent and zero incentive to be bad but they are also an injury prone team. If we play .500 ball the rest of the way which feels impossible that’s 37-45 which would have been good for 11th in the standings last year. That’s our ceiling and we are unlikely to sniff that imo.
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You're being way too rational about this. We've still got multiple future picks and young bench players who we can trade to push us from 37 wins up to 41 wins and another coveted home play-in game.
 
And here I thought the fans would be overjoyed that Mr. Murray will return so soon. Ah well, you cannot please everyone.
 
hrdboild said:
I don't like this. We need to lose another 10 games before I trust this team not to pivot back into win-now mode as soon as they look vaguely competitive. Maybe even 20 more.
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Eh, we haven't pivoted out of win now mode right now though.

Keegan will be a huge boost, but he won't be the sudden trigger for this team playing. 500 ball. Especially considering him returning just means less Keon and Nique. And he'll be relegated to the corner spot up shooter on offense
 
The_Jamal said:
Eh, we haven't pivoted out of win now mode right now though.

Keegan will be a huge boost, but he won't be the sudden trigger for this team playing. 500 ball. Especially considering him returning just means less Keon and Nique. And he'll be relegated to the corner spot up shooter on offense
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Indeed. I'm a huge fan of Keegan's, but the Kings have not put him in a position to level up at this stage of his career, so he's only going to have so much impact within an offense where he's relegated to 4th or 5th option. And this team is so godawful defensively that Keegan's return will no doubt provide a bit of a boost, but is he rescuing them from their 27th ranked woes on that end? I do sincerely doubt it. The Kings will win some games whether Keegan's available or not. Sometimes, the ball bounces your way, even when you're one of the worst teams in the NBA. It's inevitable. That's basketball.

Now, I'm very firmly in the "root for lins" crowd, but it's folly to sweat every possible "woss." The Kings aren't out-sucking Washington, Indiana, and Brooklyn. They probably aren't out-sucking New Orleans, either. But can they hold onto the 5th worst record as the season progresses? I think they probably can. I expect the Blazers, Grizzlies, Clippers, Mavericks, Bulls, and Hornets to win enough games to keep them in No Man's Land. The Jazz remain a wild card out West, but this Kings roster is just so poorly-constructed that it might not matter at all if they're trying to win or lose.
 
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