There are apparently five teams still pursuing New Orleans Pelicans foward Trey Murphy on the trade market.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been receiving trade calls about Trey Murphy for a while now, and a field of suitors emerging as Murphy is the top trade piece remaining on the market.
Murphy is viewed as the perfect companion piece to a contending team as an elite shooting wing. He shot 37.9% from three on 8.6 attempts per game last season. Any team would like to add that.
The thing is, the Pelicans know his value and don't want to back off the supposed "three first round pick" price that has been set.
At this point, it appears to be winding down between teams who are seriously considering a trade. NBA insider Michael Scotto reported on Thursday that there are five teams in the mix, "to varying degrees." Here's the current field for Murphy:
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have been hit hard with criticism over how they handled the Jaylen Brown situation. If they don't end up making another move, like landing someone of Murphy's level, then their front office could end up looking like some of the bigger losers of the offseason. Perhaps they get desperate enough with pressure from the fan base to cave and give up the draft compensation, which they now have more of from the Brown trade.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons have been a very odd team to follow as they have done a mix of shipping off players like Isaiah Stewart and seemingly refusing to pay center Jalen Duren, right as they finally got to be an elite team in the East. If they do still want to compete, then Murphy really is the perfect companion piece to pair with Cade Cunningham and Duren. That could be a trio that runs the East.
Golden State Warriors
If the Warriors want to win another ring while Steph Curry is still in the league, then this is the type of all-in move that they need to make. Then the problem becomes the fact that they would be leveraging their entire post-Curry future. They'd now have Murphy, and in two to three years, he'd become their top dog.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers did trade Kawhi Leonard, but that doesn't mean that they aren't going to try to compete. If anything, it makes the need for Murphy that much stronger. It would also be a return to being teammates with Brandon Ingram, who is now in Los Angeles. Darius Garland, Ingram and Murphy are an interesting trio.
Atlanta Hawks
The recent trade history with the Hawks will make all of the fans in New Orleans not want to do this deal, but it's one package that could be more than just draft picks. The Pelicans could try to get former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. While Risacher hasn't lived up to the No. 1 pick expectations, he could still pan out. He's still just 21 years old.
New Orleans saw what he could do firsthand as he put up a season-high 25 points while shooting 7-of-9 from three. He also has a career-high of 38, with four career 30-point games.
