Keegan Murray responds to the team’s historic shooting night following the Kings’ 131-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at Golden 1 Center, where he scored 24 points on a flawless 4-of-4 3-point shooting performance.
Following their incredible 2022–2023 NBA season, the Kings returned the majority of their players to carry on their newfound success.
However, Sacramento has been linked to a number of trade rumors recently, a lot of which center on Toronto Raptors players Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. NBA reporter Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports outlined the demands Toronto might make on Sacramento in a possible trade, and they are very high.
“For Sacramento to do business with Toronto, the Raptors are expected to seek sweet-shooting Keegan Murray in exchange for either of their talented forwards,” Fischer stated on Friday.
The Kings don’t seem to be inclined to do that, given how much they praised the second-year forward during the offseason and stressed how important his development would be to their success.
In the 2022 NBA Draft, Sacramento selected Murray with the fourth overall pick. In 29.8 minutes over 80 games, Murray averaged 12.2 points on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.1 percent from 3-point range. He also added 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists. In addition, he set a record for the NBA’s rookie 3-pointers, was selected to the 2022–23 All-NBA Rookie First Team, and was a key contributor to the Kings’ first postseason trip since 2006.
Sacramento, which wants to go from good to great around its All-NBA duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, has focused on Murray’s Year 2 jump. However, Fischer reported, citing league sources, that Davion Mitchell, a third-year guard for the Kings, is “considered a strong trade candidate” given that the 25-year-old has dropped out of the starting lineup this year.
In an effort to add more midseason talent, the Kings are also searching elsewhere. It was reported by Fischer that they are “one team to monitor in Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine’s ongoing trade discussions.
” Fischer was informed by an NBA general manager that the Utah Jazz would be “willing to listen” to any questions regarding All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. The Kings, Atlanta Hawks, and Oklahoma City Thunder were the three teams that Fischer mentioned as potential suitors for the Finnish player.
