Scott Perry Admits the Kind of Players Kings Are Looking For

The Sacramento Kings could be looking to assemble a team filled with Keegan Murrays.

Dec 20, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Before he took the GM job with the Sacramento Kings, Scott Perry was a regular with The Hoop Genius Podcast, hosted by Mo Mooncey and now assistant GM of the Kings, B.J. Armstrong. The podcast recently brought Perry back on as a guest, where he discussed team building in Sacramento with Mooncey and former assistant coach, Brendan Suhr. 

Perry talked about being “patient” and “prudent” while trying to build a sustainable winner with the Kings. One of Perry’s biggest moves so far has been extending Keegan Murray, and the Kings’ GM talked about needing more players like him if the Kings are going to be successful. 

“You can’t have too many, 6’8, 6'9 players who are two-way players and who are versatile… that can shoot the basketball as well, we got one in him, and we will continue to look to add more,” Perry said.

Why This Is Important

Fans will remember that the “Beam Team” was relatively infamous for not adding another wing alongside Keegan Murray. The Kings were linked to Pascal Siakam, Kyle Kuzma, and more before deciding to add DeMar DeRozan to replace Harrison Barnes. While DeRozan is a great scorer, he’s undersized for the modern game and has never made his money with defense. This brings us to the present day, where Murray is still the only true wing on the roster. 

Murray is sidelined with a calf strain right now, and Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers showed why the Kings are dead in the water without him. Keon Ellis was forced to defend Luka Doncic for much of the game, and he just isn’t big enough to handle a player of Doncic’s size and strength. Normally, this would be Murray’s assignment, but even he can’t be expected to handle stars like Luka alone. Perry also signaled that he understands that the team is asking a lot of Murray.

“We tax him that way, he guards one through five,” Perry said about Murray.

It’s not as simple as saying that asking Murray to do too much defensively is why he isn’t shooting as well as he has in the past. With that said, the amount of energy he expends defending some of the best players in the league has to impact his offense on some level. 

Murray has taken another step defensively this season, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, but he’s shooting a career-worst 26% from three. The hope is that finding someone to take a bit of the pressure off Keegan defensively could help him stay fresh enough that his offense doesn’t suffer. 

Who Are Some Players That Could Be a Good Fit Next To Murray?

There are a few dream targets for the Kings, like Tari Eason, Ausar Thompson, and Trey Murphy III. While this probably isn’t news to anyone, those three guys are not realistic options for Sacramento. To save some time (and disappointment), we’ll focus on a few guys who aren’t out of the stratosphere of possibilities. 

Bilal Coulibaly

The first name that could be the right fit is a bit of a buy-low candidate in Bilal Coulibaly, should he be available. 

Coulibaly has similar defensive playmaking numbers to Murray, with 1.4 steals and one block per game. Unfortunately, his offense hasn’t shown many signs of developing as the Washington Wizards had hoped.

Coulibaly is a good athlete with the ability to get to the basket off the dribble; he just hasn’t been a threat from outside since his rookie year. The positive with Coulibaly is that he’s just 21 years old, but the Kings would need him to develop into at least a league-average shooter if they want him to be a long-term starter. 

Highlight tape of Bilal Coulibaly’s🇲🇱21 PTS v the Raptors in the Wizards’ win at home.#NBAAfrica #NBA pic.twitter.com/BSwTd8Lxeu

— NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) December 27, 2025

Peyton Watson

Another player who makes sense next to Murray and probably won’t cost a fortune is Peyton Watson. Watson is on an expiring contract this season, and the Denver Nuggets aren’t in a good position to pay him what he would command on the open market, which may lead them to explore a trade.

Watson is a similar player to Coulibaly defensively, but he’s a far better shooter at 40% from deep this season. According the Cleaning The Glass, Watson and Coulibaly are the only two wings with a steal and block percentage at 1.5% or above, other than Scottie Barnes, who is classified as a big. 

2026 NBA Draft prospects

If the Kings aren’t comfortable with playing Murray at the four spot, the best options won’t be available until next July, but they’re worth waiting for. Prospective player of the year, Cam Boozer, is an offensive engine for Duke, but he can more than hold his own defensively. What Boozer lacks in athleticism, he makes up for with his strength and instincts, which help him rack up 2.6 stocks per game at Duke.

Caleb Wilson's GAME-WINNING block 👀❌pic.twitter.com/vADjp0FDoz

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 20, 2025

Caleb Wilson, with his rebounding and rim protection, would also be a great consolation prize should the Kings not end up with a top-three pick. 

Finding another two-way wing should be at the top of Perry’s priorities for the near future; the problem lies in actually acquiring one. The draft may be their best bet with their lack of trade assets, but they also can’t afford to skip over the best player available. While it won’t be easy to find the right fit, I’m excited to see who Perry eventually slots next to Murray as the Kings try to retool their roster.