Kings Have Big Keegan Murray Decision to Make After Latest Injury

The Sacramento Kings suffered yet another loss on Wednesday night, falling to the Houston Rockets 128-97, marking their 17th loss in 18 games. However, adding a tally to their loss column was far from the worst thing to happen to the Kings in Houston.

Kings forward Keegan Murray left Wednesday's game in the first quarter after landing awkwardly on his ankle. Murray would not return to the game after limping to the locker room, and fans have every right to be concerned about the 25-year-old forward.

This raises the question: Will the Kings shut Murray down for the rest of the season?

Keegan Murray went to the Kings locker room after appearing to land awkwardly on this play pic.twitter.com/xC97yB0w9c
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 26, 2026

Keegan Murray suffers another injury

Not only did Murray suffer an apparent ankle injury, but the worst part is that this has become a common trend for the young forward.

Murray just recently returned from a 20-game absence due to a left ankle sprain. Which ankle did he injure on Wednesday night? The same one that kept him out for over a month. Murray has now suffered two left ankle injuries since the start of 2026, and the Kings will have to think about keeping him out for the rest of the season.

Shut Keegan Murray down for the season. And start a running clock in games. Just get it over with.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) February 26, 2026

The Kings are already without Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and De'Andre Hunter due to season-ending surgeries, and at this point, losses are not necessarily a bad thing as they aim for prime lottery positioning. The Kings are much better off focusing on Murray's future, and by doing so, we might not see him play another game this season.

Not only has Murray now had multiple ankle issues this season, but he has also missed games due to thumb surgery, a back injury, and a calf injury, in addition to his two left ankle injuries.

Keegan Murray this season:

Torn Left Thumb UCL (needed surgery)
Back injury
Calf injury
Ankle injury
Ankle injury again
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) February 26, 2026

If Murray played his last game of the season on Wednesday, he would finish his 2025-26 campaign with just 23 appearances. This means that arguably the Kings' three best players in Murray, Sabonis, and LaVine will all have played fewer than 40 games this season.

To make matters worse, the Kings undoubtedly wanted to see way more out of Murray this season. Through 23 appearances, Murray has averaged 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting 42% from the field, 27.7% from three-point range, and 77.6% from the free-throw line.

Of course, Murray's defense continues to improve, but his offense has managed to get worse. Murray's 27.7% clip from beyond the arc and 42% from the field mark new career lows, and his offensive struggles should make the Kings second-guess whether he is their long-term solution.

It will be interesting to see what the Kings and Murray decide to approach this ankle injury, but it makes sense to let the young forward rest up and sit for the rest of the season.