Pacers Linked to Trey Murphy III as NBA Trade Rumors Heat Up

The NBA Finals are coming to a close and the rumor mills are really starting to ramp up.

The Indiana Pacers have a solid team in place, but they’re still doing their due diligence to see how they can make this team the best it possibly can be.

According to NBA insider, Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons are showing interesting in trading for New Orleans Pelicans two-way small forward, Trey Murphy III.

This is the first report that has linked the Pacers to Murphy III but there has been wide speculation by the fan base that there might be interest after seeing Murphy III sitting courtside at the Indiana Fever game with Pacers franchise star, Tyrese Haliburton.

Stein shared more information on teams calling New Orleans to gauge the market for Murphy III:

“External trade interest in New Orleans' Trey Murphy III 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 and that this is the first time their new front office regime headed by Joe Dumars has been truly willing to field offers for Murphy.

As one team interested in Murphy put it to me this week: "They want a lot." Two teams known to have expressed interest in the 25-year-old sharpshooter, I'm told, are Detroit and Indiana.”

tm3 — Jan 16, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard/forward Aaron Nesmith (23) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana has not had a star-level small forward since Paul George, and while Aaron Nesmith has been a terrific fit with the franchise in this role, there is no denying that he is undersized and isn’t a self creator offensively.

With how steep the asking price appears to be, the Pacers do not need to make a rash decision to improve their roster. The core seven of this team should be trusted enough to get an opportunity to get back to the NBA Finals, but if this move is being made with a longer term plan in mind, then the front office should be trusted.

Murphy III would be a terrific fit for the Pacers and while other teams are in the Giannis hunt, it makes sense for Indiana to swoop in and get a deal done there before other teams strike out on Giannis and pivot to Murphy III

TM3 — Apr 3, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) reacts after dunking against the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Pacers division rival, the Detroit Pistons, are not only linked to Murphy III, but Kyrie Irving as well. If they’re able to pull off trades to acquire both players that makes them a lot more dangerous than how their team was currently constructed last season. However, Stein has also made it known that the Mavericks messaging has been the Kyrie Irving is not available for trade.

If the Pacers are able to get stronger and make a rival weaker in the same move, that is savvy work.

This is just the beginning of the trade and free agency rumors this offseason, but if this is a sign of things to come, the Pacers might just be more active than fans expect or want.

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