All of the guys that were at the forefront of the rumor mill (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, etc.) changed teams this offseason. So, naturally, instead of putting trade talk to bed, we find new guys to speculate over.
One of those players will undoubtedly be Trey Murphy III. Over the last few years, Murphy has turned into quite the player. In the last two seasons, he’s averaged over 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. On top of that, his ability to function as both an exterior and interior play finisher makes him an ideal candidate to play alongside high-usage stars. The New Orleans Pelicans also don’t project to be very good, which makes him the perfect player for a team with higher immediate aspirations to target.
The only issue: the Pelicans don’t seem to want to trade Murphy. Hence the title of this post. But a lot of teams have said that they don’t want to trade a player just to turn around and flip them for the right package. So, in case the Pelicans change their mind, here are three trades that they can’t pass up.
1. Help the Warriors extend their dynasty
The Golden State Warriors have been loosely linked to Murphy for some time, making them an ideal team to include in an exercise like this. In this FanSpo trade, the Pelicans would trade him and Dejounte Murray, and in return, they would get Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, two firsts (one with a top ten protection), and a future second round pick.
Butler, Murray, and Melton are included in this deal to make the money work. Although you could make an argument for Murray being useful to the Warriors, especially if they are losing Podziemski. Speaking of the Southpaw, he gives the Pelicans a nice young player (he’s three years younger than Murphy) who seems like he’s on the cusp of truly breaking out.
Podziemski, and some draft capital from a team that is on their last legs, seems like a pretty nice return for Murphy, and probably gives the Pelicans a better chance of leaving this cycle of losing they’ve been trapped in than keeping the bouncy forward around probably would.
2. Cade Cunningham gets his Robin
Everyone and their mom wants Cade Cunningham to get the Robin to his Batman. However, for one reason or another, the Detroit Pistons have not been able to get him one. Murphy’s ability to oscillate between playing on and off the ball makes him a great fit for Cunningham’s on-ball centric style. Plus, Murphy is no slouch on the defensive side of the ball, which would enable the team to uphold the defensive identity they have been working so hard to create.
To get Murphy, the Pistons would trade Duncan Robinson (salary filler), Ron Holland, two future firsts, a first round pick swap, and a second round pick. Holland is not nearly as proven as Podziemski (although he is younger and more athletic). So, the Pistons would give up a little extra draft capital than the Warriors would. Holland’s intensity would also be great for helping the Pelicans try to establish their own defensive identity in the short term.
3. Murphy to the Nuggets
After falling in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves and losing Peyton Watson in free agency, the Denver Nuggets desperately need to get younger around Nikola Jokić. Here, the Pelicans could help them out, and for their services, they would get Aaron Gordon and three future first round picks.
The Nuggets are similar to the Warriors in that they are an older team that could be in for a rebuild if this home run swing doesn’t connect for them. These picks (2028, 2031, and 2033) could end up being super valuable to the Pelicans, and they don’t have any protections attached to them.
Gordon could be used as another means for acquiring draft capital down the road, or he could do what Tobias Harris just did with the Pistons and help the Pelicans learn how to win. I don’t like this move for the Nuggets (I think Gordon is too valuable to their success), but we are looking at this from the Pelicans’ standpoint. And for them, this trade is an absolute must do.
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