3 players who definitely won’t be moved at the NBA trade deadline
By Lior Lampert
2. Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
ESPN’s Zach Lowe has reported that the Sacramento Kings have held “at least internal discussions about almost every available big name, including Zach LaVine, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby,” but also pointed out that they have shown “zero interest” in dangling Keegan Murray in potential trades.
The Kings confirmed as much when they backed out of the Siakam sweepstakes because of their unwillingness to include their second-year 3-and-D wing, per Sportsnet's Michael Grange.
If Sacramento didn’t feel that acquiring an NBA Champion and two-time All-NBA forward moved the needle enough for them to give up Murray then what will?
At 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Murray has the prototypical blend of length and shooting ability that is highly coveted around the league. His versatility on the defensive end as someone who can guard multiple positions combined with his ability to stretch the floor and force defenses to respect him even when he doesn’t have the ball makes him a player that the Kings' coaching staff loves to mix and match in various lineup combinations.
Murray has seen notable improvement virtually across the board in 2023-24, averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from beyond the arc, adding 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.
General manager Monte McNair is hanging onto the sharpshooter he selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft very tight, and for good reason.