Sacramento Kings veteran DeMar DeRozan offered heartfelt support for teammate Keegan Murray after the forward suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. The team confirmed on Sunday that Murray will undergo surgery and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Speaking to reporters, DeRozan emphasized the emotional impact of losing a teammate so close to the regular season. “We feel for him more so than anything,” DeRozan said, via HoopsHype. “Feel for Keegan because, you know, that’s our brother, our teammate. We don’t want to see nobody hurt. But with that, we still got a job to do. We can’t hang our heads too long. And you can’t always expect the NBA season to go perfect. Knock on wood, I hope this is all to come and, you know, he get back healthy and we can hold down the fort until then.”
Murray sustained the injury during Sacramento’s preseason loss to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the week. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, an MRI confirmed ligament damage that will require surgical repair.
The 25-year-old forward had been a key part of the Kings’ long-term plans, currently in discussions for a rookie-scale contract extension before the October 20 deadline. If no deal is reached, Murray will enter restricted free agency next summer.
The injury comes at a challenging time for both the player and the franchise. Sacramento, which finished 40–42 last season, had been looking to Murray to take another step forward as a two-way contributor alongside DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis.
Through two preseason appearances, Murray had struggled to find his rhythm offensively, shooting 6-for-16 from the field and missing all six of his three-point attempts. Still, his defensive versatility and rebounding have been key to the Kings’ rotation.
