DeMar DeRozan Reacts to Keegan Murray Surgery Announcement

Of course, with Murray sidelined for the next month or so, the Kings will likely be without him for the first 10-20 games of the regular season. With minimal forward depth, the Kings will be severely short-handed without him, and their on-court results will likely reflect that. The Kings have a few options to try to replace his production, as they will simply have to do what they can to win without him.

DeRozan reacts to the injury news

Kings star forward and six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan was asked about Murray's surgery announcement at Sunday's practice, and he had a very veteran response, as he looks to keep the team focused.

"We feel for him more so than anything. Feel for Keegan because, you know, that's our brother, our teammate. We don't want to see nobody hurt," DeRozan said. "But with that, we still got a job to do. We can't hang our heads too long. And you can't always expect the NBA season to go perfect. Knock on wood, I hope this is all to come and, you know, he get back healthy and we can hold down the fort until then."

With Murray sidelined, the Kings will be missing their best wing defender, so they will need veterans like DeRozan to step up on that side of the ball, especially. Time will tell how good the Kings can be with Murray on the bench, but the focus remains the same for the team.

"It's tough, because Keegan has size, strength, athleticism, and he shoots 40%. I think everyone is looking for that," Kings head coach Doug Christie said. "We have a couple different guys that can maybe equal Keegan, but we don't have Keegan. Replacing it is definitely difficult, but guys have other strengths."

Murray will be hard to replace in Sacramento for the first portion of the 2025-26 season, but the team will certainly try to hold it down until he returns.