Kings sign Keegan Murray, Keon Ellis, Neemias Queta; beat Warriors at California Classic

The Kings were preparing to play the Golden State Warriors in their first game at the California Classic on Saturday when they announced the signings of three players who were introduced in the starting lineup a short time later.

Kings general manager Monte McNair started by announcing the team had officially signed rookie first-round draft pick Keegan Murray to a rookie-scale contract. Murray, who came out of Iowa as the No. 4 pick in the draft, will earn $36.4 million over his first four years.

“Keegan is an incredibly versatile, well-rounded player with a high basketball IQ,” McNair said in a statement issued by the team. “He will be a tremendous asset to our team and we are excited to welcome him to the Kings family.”

The Kings then announced they had signed rookie guard Keon Ellis and second-year center Neemias Queta to two-way contracts. A league source told The Sacramento Bee both players’ contracts are one-year deals.

Murray, Queta and Ellis all started in an 86-68 victory over the Warriors on the first day of the California Classic at Chase Center in San Francisco. Murray, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward who averaged 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds as a sophomore at Iowa last season, suited up for Sacramento for the first time.

Murray was sensational in his unofficial pro debut. He finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, making 10 of 14 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

Queta had 12 points and six rebounds. The 7-foot center agreed to a second one-year two-way contract with the Kings after coming to Sacramento as the 39th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He made history last season as the first player from Portugal to appear in an NBA game.

Ellis had two points, six rebounds and two assists against Golden State. The 6-6 guard went undrafted out of Alabama after averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists last season.