The Sacramento Kings agreed on a five-year, $140 million contract extension with forward Keegan Murray to keep him locked up through the 2030-31 season.
Murray had one year remaining on his rookie deal
after being drafted fourth overall in 2022 before agreeing to the new deal, agent Mark Bartlestein said Wednesday
ESPN first reported the extension.
Murray made the NBA All-Rookie team in 2023 and finished fifth in voting for rookie of the year after helping the Kings snap an NBA-record 16-season playoff drought.
Murray has made at least 150 3-pointers in all three seasons and is also one of Sacramento's top wing defenders. He averaged a career-high 15.2 points per game in his second season in the NBA before dropping to 12.4 points per game last season when he averaged a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
Murray is set to miss the start of this season after undergoing surgery earlier this week to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the left thumb. He will be re-evaluated in about a month but the Kings didn't hesitate to give him his rookie extension before a deadline on Monday.
It was a busy day for Sacramento after the team also agreed to a one-year deal with former MVP Russell Westbrook earlier Wednesday, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the deal.
The 36-year-old Westbrook is entering his 18th season in the league. He’s the all-time leader with 203 triple-doubles and ranks 20th in NBA history with 26,205 points and eighth with 9,925 assists. He holds career averages of 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists.
The nine-time All-Star began his career with Oklahoma City and teamed up with Kevin Durant to help the Thunder become a league power. After Durant left to join the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook was named the league MVP the following season — the first of his three straight averaging a triple-double. He also won two scoring titles and two All-Star MVP awards before leaving the Thunder.
He has bounced around since, having played for Houston, Washington, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists for Denver last season. He remains beloved in Oklahoma City, sometimes even being cheered at Thunder games during the Western Conference semifinals last season while playing for the Nuggets.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
