At least two teams have shown interest in New Orleans Pelicans star Trey Murphy, though the team has not officially offered him in any trade.
The entire NBA world is waiting to see what the New Orleans Pelicans do with Trey Murphy. While the likely answer is still that he will be on the team next season, there are a couple of teams who want to change that.
Murphy is the ideal trade candidate for every contender. He's an electric wing with highlight dunks and an elite three-point shot, and is on a team-friendly deal. There is no real downside to having him on the court.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists on 47.0/37.9/88.6 shooting splits. If the Pelicans were to trade him, they would likely get a king's ransom. They don't seem particularly enthused about the idea of moving him, though.
NBA insider Marc Stein, who has been following New Orleans and Murphy's trade market this offseason, recently updated his reporting:
"External trade interest in [Murphy] remains intense, league sources say. Yet I was told this week that the inquiries have all been of an inbound nature. League sources say that the Pelicans have not offered Murphy anywhere... As one team interested in Murphy put it to me this week: 'They want a lot.' Two teams known to have expressed interest in [Murphy] are [the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers]."
Both the Pistons and the Pacers make sense as trade partners for Murphy. Both are teams who have been making major strides, but are missing an element to make their roster a true contender.
The problem is, recent reporting is that New Orleans would only be interested in parting ways with Murphy in a deal that makes them better immediately. Neither of those teams would be able to put together such a package that makes sense for both parties.
The Pelicans clearly value the sharpshooter, so don't expect him to get moved in a deal unless it is one that ends with New Orleans either getting another star or a massive haul of draft picks.
