Keegan Murray Placed Into Health & Safety Protocols, Status For Opening Night Unclear

Sacramento Kings rookie forward Keegan Murray has been placed into the NBA’s Health & Safety protocols and will not be in attendance for Sunday afternoon’s Fan Fest activities at Golden 1 Center, per Fox 40’s Sean Cunningham.

Murray, the fourth-overall pick from June’s NBA Draft, had arguably been Sacramento’s most-impressive player during the first two preseason games that took place back on October 3rd and 12th. The 22-year-old missed Wednesday’s game due to what the team called a non-COVID illness but returned to practice on Thursday morning.

Although Murray returned to practice, the rookie has been placed into the league’s protocols and will be evaluated daily, meaning that his status for Wednesday night’s season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers is uncertain at this time.

Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray has entered health & safety protocols, per league source. He's at home resting and will unfortunately miss Sunday's Fan Fest.

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 15, 2022

There are five days to go until the Kings lace up at Golden 1 Center against the Blazers, meaning that the possibility of clearing protocols in time for the game is in play, but conditioning and readiness will come into account when head coach Mike Brown and the team’s medical staff evaluate Murray upon his return.

With Murray sidelined, Sacramento has continued to roll out a starting lineup that includes De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, KZ Okpala, and Domantas Sabonis. Forwards Trey Lyles, Chimezie Metu, and Chima Moneke will slide into Murray’s backup role if the rookie is set to miss time.

Expect updates on Murray’s status to come once the team returns to practice following the weekend.

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