Where would Keegan Murray go in a 2022 Re-Draft?

With the benefit of hindsight, where would Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray be selected in a 2022 NBA Re-Draft?

Apr 28, 2026, 4:12 PM

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The 2026 NBA Draft is the Sacramento Kings current focus, but every once in a while, it’s fun to go back in time.

Owning the fifth-best odds in the upcoming lottery, the last time they came into a draft with hopes this high came in 2022, where they eventually landed the fourth overall pick and selected Keegan Murray.

The Iowa forward became an essential piece to the ‘Beam Team’ season that snapped their postseason drought, but has steadily declined since then — at least statistically.

After setting the then-rookie record with 501 made three-pointers while shooting 41.1 percent, which Kon Knueppel broke this season, his conversion rate from range has regressed.

Of course, that’s very context-dependent, and his 23 games played in 2025-26 due to various injuries feel like an outlier given his lack of injuries prior to that point.

Sitting here with him and his classmates, having four years of NBA experience, where would they go in a 2022 NBA Re-Draft with the benefit of hindsight?

Rather than going down the line, placing them into tiers feels like a more reasonable approach. Fit and the team’s outlook at the time of selection are factors that can hardly be considered now, meaning that, as long as they are not dipping below a tier, any would be reasonable.

Tier 1 – Max Extensions

Paolo Banchero (signed five-year, $246 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists on 45.9/30.5/77.5

Banchero was probably the correct first overall selection, albeit the latter two names could be considered. While questions have arisen about his true capabilities as a number one option on a championship team, he’s the closest thing to an offensive engine from the 2022 class. He was also the first All-Star, earning the honors in his second season.

Currently holding a 3-1 lead over the first-seeded Detroit Pistons speaks to his impact (not to take away from the Magic’s impressive depth), but if he can continue to improve his consistency and efficiency, it feels like the difference between him earning All-NBA honors.

Chet Holmgren (signed five-year, $246 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 blocks on 55.7/36.2/79.2

Holmgren has already been an essential piece to a championship-winning roster in Oklahoma City. Even if they had the first pick in this hypothetical re-draft, it’s hard to imagine them going in a different direction.

Suffering an unfortunate Lisfranc injury in his right foot in a Pro-Am event caused him to miss the entirety of his rookie campaign, but his two-way impact since has been undeniable. Holmgren’s archetype, a three-and-D seven-footer with perimeter abilities on both ends, is extremely rare and therefore coveted in the modern NBA.

He’s the type of plug-and-play talent that every organization would be thrilled to have on its roster. Being an All-Star and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this season on the best team in the league was well deserved and speaks for itself.

One of his teammates joins him as the final member of this tier as well.

Jalen Williams (signed five-year, $246 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists on 48.4/29.9/83.7

The second-leading scoring option on Oklahoma City’s 2024-25 title team, getting Williams with the 12th pick is the obvious “steal” of the draft. Earning All-NBA third team honors in just his third season, including an All-Star selection and All-Defensive second-team, is representative of his two-way impact and versatility.

While not the playmaker for others that Banchero has been, there’s an argument that he’s deserving of the first overall nod — hence his placement in this top-tier.

Tier 2 – Plus-Starter Caliber / On-Ball Upside

Jalen Duren (signed five-year, $135 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 65/0/74.7

The pick-and-roll between Duren and Cade Cunningham was one of the most efficient and high-volume actions in the NBA this past regular season. While Cunningham deserves plenty of credit for setting him up, Duren is still 22-years-old and playing like a man amongst boys at times.

Playing a key role in Detroit’s earning the first seed in the Eastern Conference, he earned his first All-Star appearance. While it may seem he should be above others in this tier, I think positional value factors in. But, admittedly, maybe I should be putting more into his youth and his remaining upside, and less into his ongoing struggles in his first postseason appearance.

Admittedly, I questioned whether Duren should’ve belonged in his own tier.

Shaedon Sharpe (signed four-year, $112 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals on 45.2/33.7/78.7

Sharpe is an interesting case. His athleticism, with an alleged 49-inch max vertical that matches the eye test, jumps off the screen — pun intended.

Yet, inconsistency and a lack of control may be his biggest flaws. Logging just 61 minutes over their four postseason games (so far) shows Portland’s thoughts on his potential impact, despite having an impressive regular season.

Being a 22-year-old, like Duren, may be carrying a lot of his placement here. Compared to the following names, his being in this tier would come down to preference and team construction.

Keegan Murray (signed five-year, $140 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.6 blocks on 42/27.7/77.6

This one is reliant on betting that Keegan Murray’s three-point shooting comes back around. Remember when Paul George listed Murray as one of the five best shooters in the NBA?

At 6’8 with a versatile defensive impact that outperformed pre-draft expectations, his peak version is a perfect starter on most teams in the league.

While lacking the same upside as players like Duren, Sharpe, and others to be named, the now 25-year-old will need to bounce back to perform up to his contractual value.

I’m willing to bet on the three-ball returning to form, but if that doesn’t happen, this ranking could look questionable in due time. No matter, the debate at the time of the 2022 NBA Draft was between Jaden Ivey and Keegan Murray.

Spoiler alert: Ivey won’t be making this list.

Bennedict Mathurin (signed five-year, $125 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists on 43/31.5/86.9

Mathurin is an interesting case, having been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the middle of this season. But, once again, this is betting on upside.

If the Clippers pivoted to a youth timeline centered around Mathurin and Darius Garland, is it that difficult to imagine him growing into an effective offensive creator? While not having the same defensive prowess as someone like Murray or Duren, on-ball talents are perhaps the most coveted in the modern NBA.

In a re-draft, deciding between Murray, Mathurin, and the final player in this tier feels like team preference.

Dyson Daniels (signed five-year, $125 million extension)

2025-26 averages: 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.0 steals on 51.7/18.8/61.5

If I were ranking nicknames, The Great Barrier Thief would be miles above the rest of the competition.

Even on the basketball side, Daniels earned the Most Improved Player award, second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and first-team All-Defense in 2024-25. He also shot 34 percent from three on 3.1 attempts per game last year, which dipped to a concerning 18.8 percent on just 1.5 per game this season.

So, how highly would teams value a truly elite defensive on-ball stopper in exchange for likely being ignored from the perimeter on the other end of the floor? Could he become nearly unplayable in the postseason if that abysmal shooting continues? Sure.

But being able to slow down someone like Jalen Brunson has immense value in itself. It could come down to someone’s personal favorite and most highly coveted archetype.

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?

The Sacramento Kings will now look ahead to the highly anticipated NBA Draft Lottery, which is set for Sunday, May 10th.

Sacramento hasn’t secured the top pick in the NBA Draft since 1989, when it selected center Pervis Ellison with the first overall selection.

Be sure to stay locked in to Sactown Sports 1140 all offseason for NBA Draft Lottery coverage, NBA Draft previews and analysis, NBA Summer League content, and MUCH more!

Upcoming Sacramento Kings & NBA Offseason Schedule

Sunday, May 10th – NBA Draft Lottery
Thursday, June 4th– NBA Finals begin
Thursday, June 25th – NBA Draft (Round 1)
Friday, June 26th – NBA Draft (Round 2)
Tuesday, June 30th – NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)
Thursday, July 9th – NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins
Monday, July 13th – Free Agency moratorium ends / signings can become official