Kris Murray taken by Portland Trail Blazers with 23rd pick in the NBA draft

IOWA CITY — Kris and Keegan Murray will be on opposing basketball teams for the first time.

Kris Murray was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd pick in the first round of Thursday night’s NBA draft. He and twin brother Keegan Murray of Cedar Rapids were basketball teammates at Prairie High School, DME Academy and the University of Iowa.

“(Blazers management) are excited to have me,” Murray said. “They said they were running through the halls when they picked me.

“It’s a really good situation.”

“We were really excited to see Kris get that far to us, fall to 23,” Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin said. “He does more of what we’re trying to do. What we need more of. Defense. IQ. Ranginess. The ability to be disruptive on defense and cover all kinds of different guys. And be switchable and drop and rotate and protect the rim a little bit. And offensively, be very, very functional.”

Kris, a third-team All-America forward this year, joins Keegan in the league. Keegan was the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft, and made the NBA’s All-Rookie Team as a Sacramento King.

“The first time (the brothers play against each other), it’ll probably be cool,” Kris Murray said Thursday. “It’ll definitely be a fun game to watch.

“I definitely think going separate paths and being competitors can be a really good opportunity for us.”

As for his parents, Kenyon and Michelle Murray of Cedar Rapids traveling to see both sons play next season, Kris said “It’s an hour flight (from Portland) to Sacramento.”

Iowa has had four players drafted in the last three drafts after having just three from 2000 to 2020. Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza were second-round selections in 2021.

Kris Murray averaged 20.2 points and 7.9 rebounds last season for Iowa. He led the Hawkeyes in scoring, rebounding, 3-pointers and blocked shots, and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

The Blazers were 33-49 in 2022-23 and missed the playoffs. Sacramento was 30-52 in 2021-22, but was 48-34 and won the Pacific Division in 2022-23. Portland also had the No. 3 pick Thursday and chose guard Scoot Henderson.

Kris Murray and Henderson will play for Portland at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 7-17.

Past No. 23 picks include World B. Free, A.C. Green, and current Toronto Raptor O.G. Anunoby. Last year’s No. 23 was David Roddy, who averaged 6.7 points in 70 games for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Roddy signed a guaranteed four-year, $12,985,886 contract with the Grizzlies.

In January, Murray noted the benefits he got from attending last August’s Formula Zero basketball camp run by Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard in Portland.

“I’m just playing with a lot more confidence than last year,” Murray said. “Just going through the (NBA) pre-draft, going to Damian Lillard’s camp in August, I think it gave me a lot of confidence in myself, in just how good of a player I can be.”

Lillard averaged 32.2 points per game for the Blazers last season.

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