NBA Rumors: Kings Feel Keegan Murray Will Be 'Better Than' Jazz's Lauri Markkanen

The Sacramento Kings reportedly believe Keegan Murray is a star in the making—so much so that they wouldn't even be willing to trade him for Lauri Markkanen.

James Ham of The Kings Beat told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that Kings brass believes Murray will develop into a better player than Markkanen.

Murray is averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in his second NBA season. While his numbers pale in comparison to Markkanen, it's worth noting the All-Star Jazz forward did not break out until his arrival in Utah. He was 25 years old by the time he emerged as an All-Star, which gives Murray some time to up his game.

That said, it's not as much time as you may think. Murray is already 23 years old after being a late bloomer and is only three years younger than Markkanen despite having five fewer years of NBA experience.

Comparing the two players apples-to-apples isn't the most productive use of time but is illustrative of how highly the Kings view Murray. Whether that is grounded in reality remains to be seen—Murray hasn't ascended in his second NBA season—but the Sacramento front office clearly feels it has a foundational three players in De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Murray.

It's hard to argue with the results, as the Kings are looking at back-to-back playoff appearances after two decades of irrelevance, but Murray will have to take a massive step forward for Sacramento to go deep in the playoffs.