Bold NBA Trade Idea Sends Kings' Rising Star to OKC Thunder

Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently floated a trade idea between the Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder. His proposed deal sends Kings forward Keegan Murray to the current NBA champions in return for two young prospects and multiple draft picks.

Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Keegan Murray

Sacramento Kings receive: Nikola Topić, Ousmane Dieng, a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected, via OKC, HOU or LAC), a 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected, via DEN) and a 2028 second-round pick (via UTA)

For the Thunder, it’s the kind of luxury move that takes a team who just turned in a historically dominant season and makes them even better. From Sacramento’s perspective, it would be a lot more difficult to justify.

We first need to acknowledge what the Thunder would be getting. Murray is the exact type of player Oklahoma City - along with just about every other team in the NBA - would covet: a 6’8” wing who can defend, space the floor, and grow alongside their young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.

Mar 25, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) battles for position with Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

As Buckley points out in the article, the Thunder don’t actually need anything in order to put a championship-contending squad on the floor next season. They just won 68 games and looked like a juggernaut doing it. They would certainly want a player like Murray, especially if his 3-point shooting returned to anything resembling the 41.1% he shot from deep in his rookie season. He is also young enough to align with their long-term plans.

However, this kind of move would come at a steep cost for Sacramento. Keegan Murray isn’t just another nice, young piece; he may very well be considered the piece the Kings are building around. To date, Murray has yet to sign a contract extension, but that is still expected to happen sooner rather than later.

👑NEW LOCKED ON KINGS POD👑
🏀The Sac Bee's @ChrisBiderman joins the show.
🏀Is this Keegan Murray's last chance to show two-way star potential?
🏀How guaranteed is a Murray contract extension to happen?

🖥️https://t.co/pNuN3Yhn5Z pic.twitter.com/ti7AtX2yMU
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) September 22, 2025

Domantas Sabonis is the All-NBA hub, and veterans like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are key contributors for the present, but Murray feels like the bridge between what Sacramento is now and what it hopes to be in three years.

Murray’s two-way play at the forward spot is arguably more valuable than what any draft pick could deliver, even lightly protected ones. Even if we’ve seen Murray’s ceiling (and there is no reason to think we have), the Kings would be hard-pressed to match his output and value on the court with any potential pick in the next two drafts.

Nikola Topić and Ousmane Dieng both have upside, no question. Topić is a 6’6” playmaker, and once he recovers from his ACL injury, he could absolutely blossom into a starting-caliber guard. Dieng is still just 22 and has tools that might very well make him a solid frontcourt player in the league.

However, “could” and “might” aren’t the same as “is”. Murray is a proven NBA starter, already capable of holding his own on both ends of the floor, and improving year over year. The Kings simply don’t have the luxury of swapping a proven player for two question marks and draft picks.

over 5 minutes of Keegan Murray defense pic.twitter.com/ARO3qgqyUr
— Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) March 9, 2025

Draft capital is great to have in your back pocket, but smart teams stockpile it while keeping their young, affordable talent. Scott Perry’s job as GM will be to find creative ways to strengthen this roster without sacrificing arguably its most important building block.

Could Sacramento ever trade Keegan Murray? Sure, but it would almost certainly have to be for a bona fide All-Star or All-NBA caliber player, someone who unquestionably raises the team’s ceiling immediately. Topić, Dieng, and some future picks just don’t check that box. This is the type of deal you consider if you’re waving the white flag on competing, and the Kings don’t appear to be in that mode, at least not yet.

While Buckley’s framework is worth consideration, I can’t see Sacramento making this move. The proposal certainly speaks to Murray’s value around the league, even to a team as loaded as Oklahoma City. But for Sacramento, Murray isn’t a trade chip. He is a big part of the future.

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