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Sacramento Kings will regret Jake LaRavia’s departure to LA Lakers even more after latest injury news

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 9:30 PM ET

As the Sacramento Kings deal with the ramifications of Keegan Murray’s injury, Jake LaRavia’s departure to the LA Lakers looks even worse.

The Sacramento Kings haven’t been able to do much during this offseason, losing several players in free agency and via trade.

The Kings lost Jake LaRavia to the LA Lakers, as the forward left the California capital to play in Hollywood.

Another major exit was that of Jonas Valanciunas, whom the Kings traded to the Denver Nuggets. And while the Kings did sign Dennis Schroder, they have struggled to fit Russell Westbrook into their plans.

And now, the Nuggets have been dealt a major blow ahead of the new NBA season, one that could have hurt less had they retained LaRavia this summer.

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Sacramento Kings could have replaced injured Keegan Murray with Jake LaRavia

The Sacramento Kings announced earlier today that Keegan Murray would be out for 4-6 weeks after suffering a torn UCL in his left thumb.

Murray will miss the start of the NBA season and is expected back in late November, barring any setbacks in the recovery process.

This is why the Kings might regret letting Jake LaRavia go. Murray was their starting power forward, and with him out of the lineup, they have no legitimate power forward options.

Perhaps the Kings will decide to go small and play DeMar DeRozan at the power forward spot, as they have better guard depth than they do forward depth.

But it also speaks to the poor roster planning from the front office this summer, as they don’t have a strong player like LaRavia to fill that spot.

Keegan Murray suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb in the Kings' preseason game in Portland last night. He'll miss 4-6 weeks, the team says. Murray, entering his fourth season, is extension eligible in the next week.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 12, 2025

Jake LaRavia set for big role on LA Lakers this season

The LA Lakers needed to replace the exiting Dorian Finney-Smith, who joined the Houston Rockets after a failed negotiation with Lakers President Rob Pelinka.

So far, while he has looked impressive in preseason, JJ Redick has a specific role he wants Jake LaRavia to play for the team.

And when it comes to playing that role, LaRavia has struggled in LA Lakers’ preseason. That isn’t too much of a concern just yet, but something the LA Lakers have to keep an eye on.

With LeBron James out for the Lakers-Warriors opener, LaRavia could find himself in the starting lineup in the first stretch of the season.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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