Former Auburn Tiger KeShawn Murphy Signs NBA Deal

The Auburn Tigers now have two players from their 2025 NIT run who have inked NBA contracts, as on Thursday, it was announced that KeShawn Murphy, who played forward and center for the Tigers last year, had signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Washington Wizards.

He joins Keyshawn Hall as the only 2025 Tigers who have been signed to NBA deals.

Murph is joining the Wizards this summer 🧙‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/UavI4sx8S0
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) June 25, 2026

NBA deals can be confusing, between two-way deals, Exhibit 10 deals and the like, but all Murphy’s contract means is that he is signed for one year with no contract guarantee, and will receive an invite to a training camp to be reevaluated there.

From there, Murphy could earn a two-way deal, meaning he can play for both the Wizards and their G-League affiliate, or even a full-time deal with the Wizards, not unlike the one former Tiger Dylan Cardwell currently has with the Sacramento Kings.

Murphy was only on the Plains for a single year of his collegiate career, as he originally committed to and spent three years of his playing career with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, where he found his collegiate footing and became one of the best forwards in the SEC.

Murphy’s statistics steadily improved year over year with the Bulldogs, as did his playing time. Not typically a starter for the Bulldogs, Murphy played in a total of 74 games with Mississippi State but only started three. Despite that, Murphy finished his career in Starkville averaging 24 minutes per game, with 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

From there, Murphy transferred to the Plains, where new Auburn head coach Steven Pearl decided to use him more primarily as a starter, rather than a sixth man. Murphy played in 31 games for the Tigers in 2025, starting 29.

With the Tigers, Murphy’s production dipped slightly, but certainly not enough to indicate a major recession in his abilities. Over an average of 23.9 minutes per game, Murphy averaged 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game with Pearl’s program.

Now, Murphy has a chance to make a splash at the professional level. If he is able to impress the Wizards over the next year, he could very well be making an impact on NBA matchups before long. The Tigers already have a few players who have NBA starting or sixth-man jobs, including Walker Kessler and Dylan Cardwell, and now Murphy has the opportunity to join that list.

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