King s Supermarket opened, but only two people remained. One was regarded as the cornerstone, and the other was the future!

Although this season has gathered four All-Star players, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, but unfortunately, except for Sasha, the other three are no longer at their peak. If Westbrook, DeRozan and LaVine could all be 5 years younger, maybe the current Kings would have entered the top eight in the Western Conference, instead of currently embarrassingly staying in the second-to-last position in the Western Conference. Perhaps because they have seen that the team has no hope of competition, just recently, some media and reporters revealed the shocking news that as long as each team's asking price is satisfactory, almost all the Kings' players can be regarded as trade targets.

However, what is somewhat surprising is that after the opening of the "Kings Supermarket", two players were singled out. They were regarded as not for sale by the Kings' top management. No matter what the bids of other teams, these two players will not be traded. The two are Keegan Murray and this year's rookie Nick Clifford. So what kind of magic power do these two people hide to be recognized by the Kings? Let us find out below!

Keegan Murray

This season's statistics: 18.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 steal

First of all, let's talk about Murray. He was the player selected by the Kings with the 4th pick in the first round in 2022. Although he was already a 22-year-old rookie when he participated in the NBA draft, I have to say that he is indeed a pretty good championship puzzle piece. In the first season of his career, the 22-23 season, he has become the main small forward of the Kings, averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, helping the Kings reach the playoffs again after 17 years. It is for this reason that he was selected to the All-Rookie First Team.

In the following seasons, although the team failed to enter the playoffs again, the Kings have long been one of the most competitive teams in the Western Conference. Behind this, Murray's contribution is indispensable. Moreover, in the second season of his career, his data has increased to 15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists, making him one of the most popular 3D players.

The Kings' goal is also very clear, which is to keep Murray. This season is only the fourth year of his career. Even as an older rookie, he is only 25 years old. This season, although he has just returned due to injuries, he has already scored 26 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists in the game against the Timberwolves. Even DeRozan praised this little brother after the game, directly stating that the Kings are now Murray's team, and his return represents everything. The Kings have declared Murray not for sale this time, just to include him in their plans in the future.

After all, in this small ball era, he is a player who is good at running without the ball, has stable finishing ability at the basket, and maintains a shooting percentage of 37.1% from beyond the three-point line. At the same time, his influence on the defensive end covers almost the entire half. He is indeed worthy of the team's attention, and he is one of the few valuable players of the Kings.

Nick Clifford

This season’s statistics: 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists

Let’s talk about Clifford. The situation is somewhat similar to Murray’s. When he entered the NBA draft, he was already a 23-year-old rookie. So far this season, he has only averaged 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, but from the team's perspective, he is still part of the team's future map. Take a look at his resume before entering the NBA. In high school, he averaged 26.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.8 blocks per game. He led his high school to a record of 27 wins and 3 losses, and won the Colorado High School League Championship for two consecutive years. He also won the 2020 Colorado Player of the Year Award.

Therefore, when he graduated from high school, he also received invitations from many top universities, but he still chose to stay in Colorado. However, in the first three years of his career at the University of Colorado, he experienced a long dormant period. It was not until the summer of 2023 when he transferred to Colorado State University that he ushered in a turning point and his draft stock began to rise.

In his senior season, he averaged 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, and his shooting and three-point shooting percentages reached 52.2% and 37.6% respectively. However, he did not participate in the NBA draft after his senior season, but continued to play his fifth season. This time he completely ushered in his own explosive period, averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He led the school to March Madness and was selected to the MWC League's best first team and best defensive team.

After that, he finally launched an impact on the NBA stage of his dream. Although he had no potential to further explore, after all, his maturity was very high and his basic skills were extremely solid. In addition, he had played in the NCAA for a total of 5 seasons. His tactical literacy was quite good. This is exactly the type of player the Kings prefer. So in the future, Clifford can definitely become the backbone of this team, and may even replicate Murray's rise.