Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during Friday night's preseason loss to Portland, the team announced.
Murray underwent surgery on Monday and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks. The Kings' young power forward will miss at least the first 10 games of the regular season.
The injury comes at a critical moment in Murray's career. Entering his fourth season, he is eligible for a contract extension next week. The deadline to reach an agreement with the Kings is October 20. If not, Murray will become a restricted free agent next summer.
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Murray has been a pillar of staying power early in his NBA career, appearing in 233 of 246 games over his first three seasons, starting all but two of them. The UCL tear was the most serious injury he suffered as a professional player.
Murray is the projected starting power forward as the Kings try to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. He made 543 career 3-pointers and developed into a versatile defender on the wing, meaning the Kings will lose a key floor-spacing player and their most trusted defender in the opening month.
Veteran forward Dario Saric, veteran guard Malik Monk, fourth-year guard Keon Ellis and rookie Nick Clifford are all candidates to replace Murray in the starting lineup. Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis are the other four projected starters.