Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Named in Monster Trade Proposal

Former Iowa Hawkeyes star Keegan Murray has not exactly lived up to expectations since being selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.

Murray actually enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, but he has shown little to no progression since then, particularly on the offensive end. In fact, he actually regressed as a scorer this past season, which isn't exactly a great sign for him moving forward.

The 24-year-old has found his named mentioned in trade speculation as a result of his stagnancy, and recently, Jackson Caudwell and Rohan Raman of Hawks on SI proposed a trade in which the Kings would send Murray packing.

In fact, they had Murray heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade proposal with Sacramento landing De'Andre Hunter, Vit Krejci, an unprotected pick swap with the Cavaliers (2030) and an unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick from Cleveland. The Atlanta Hawks would then receive Dean Wade.

Obviously, this is just a hypothetical, and the Kings have not shown any indication that they actually want to move Murray. However, there is no question that the clock is ticking for the Iowa product.

Murray averaged 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds over 34.3 minutes per game on 44.4/34.3/83.3 shooting splits during the 2024-25 campaign, posting a career-low .082 WS/48.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-8 forward registered 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds a night while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from three-point range during his final year with the Hawkeyes in 2021-22. Clearly, he is not translating entirely well on the professional level.

On the bright side, Murray is still young, so perhaps next season can serve as a breakout year for him. If not, the Kings will have a serious decision to make when his contract expires next summer.

Read More Iowa Hawkeyes Coverage