The Clippers have fresh draft capital left over from trading Kawhi Leonard, and Murphy III looks like a name worth chasing with it.
The Los Angeles Clippers turned the page on the Kawhi Leonard era at the end of June, sending their longtime star back to Toronto for a package built around youth and draft picks.
Now the front office has to figure out who fills that hole on the wing, and New Orleans forward Trey Murphy III keeps coming up as a name worth watching.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported this week that the Clippers are among five teams still checking in on Murphy, and the fit makes plenty of sense once both situations are lined up side by side.
Los Angeles finished last season at 42-40 and got knocked out by Golden State in the play-in round, though the roster already looks different from the one that limped through March.
The Clippers had already shipped James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin and what became the fifth overall pick, spent on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler.
Trading Leonard was the last piece of that puzzle, and it brought back Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future first-round picks, two second rounders and a pick swap, giving Los Angeles a new path forward heading into this offseason.
What Scotto Is Hearing
Citing league sources, Scotto wrote that "teams that are in the mix for Murphy to varying degrees now" include Boston, Detroit, Golden State, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Boston and the Clippers both picked up extra first-round picks in their own separate deals this summer, and that draft capital lines up with what New Orleans wants in return for a player still owed three years and 112 million dollars.
Golden State's interest hinges partly on how the LeBron James market shakes out, Scotto added, while Atlanta has watched from a distance without making a real push.
Losing Leonard only strengthens the Clippers case here, since every pick the Raptors sent back gives Los Angeles more capital to dangle in front of New Orleans, and Murphy fits right alongside the young talent the front office has already started collecting this year.
Why Murphy Makes Sense
Murphy is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game for a Pelicans team that finished just 26-56.
At 6-foot-8 with real size and a smooth jump shot, he solves a problem Los Angeles has had since Leonard left, a lack of two-way scoring punch on the wing.
He would slot in next to Darius Garland, who averaged 18.8 points and 6.7 assists across stops in Cleveland and Los Angeles this season, and give Keaton Wagler and Bennedict Mathurin a proven veteran to grow around instead of another ball-dominant guard.
Los Angeles has already been credited with interest in other wings this summer, but Murphy would give the front office a proven difference maker via trade rather than a bidding war, and he slots right into the young core taking shape around Garland and Wagler.
