Trey Murphy Trade Buzz Is Reportedly Still Alive as Pelicans Continue Inactivity

With each passing day, the New Orleans Pelicans' inactivity is growing more and more frustrating. Despite finishing last season with 26 wins, the Pels are the only team in the NBA not to make an offseason addition. With options in free agency quickly dwindling, what the Pelicans will do with their last open roster spot is unclear.

Even though the Pelicans have done nothing all offseason, the trade rumors around them haven't entirely died down. Trey Murphy, who has been at the forefront of trade buzz in New Orleans, remains a trade candidate.

According to The Athletic's John Hollinger, the chatter around Murphy has lessened, but "hasn't vanished." He added that once LeBron James makes his free agency decision, speculation about Murphy could resurface.

A Trey Murphy Trade Is Still the Most Likely Pelicans' Offseason Move

Technically, the Pelicans should be in no rush to trade Murphy. He is 26 years old, is under contract for three more seasons on a team-friendly deal, and is a very good player who can help a lot of teams around the league. He is arguably the best player on the team, and it makes sense that the Pels would drive a hard bargain.

At the same time, trading Murphy seems like the only way for the Pelicans to set themselves up for the future. He might be the only Pelican who has a ton of suitors on the trade market and can bring back multiple first-round picks and other future assets.

Losing Murphy would certainly make the Pelicans a worse team in the immediate term, but the Pelicans aren't projected to be good in the short run, anyway.

As things stand now, New Orleans is a bottom-three team in the Western Conference, especially with the reformed lottery rules giving every team an incentive to compete. Is holding onto Murphy really worth it so that the Pelicans can win 28 games instead of 24?

Whether it makes sense to trade Murphy now or not depends on the offers. The Pelicans have been reportedly asking for three first-round picks in trade discussions. We currently don't know what types of offers they were getting instead, but this seems like a reasonable asking price.

Once LeBron James makes his decision, perhaps there will be teams turning to Murphy as a Plan B. Among LeBron suitors, the Golden State Warriors make the most sense as a potential Murphy landing spot due to their previous interest and the assets in their possession. Would they be desperate enough to meet the Pelicans' asking price?

Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver seem content about bringing the same core back for another season. Unless they are bowled over with a trade package, they are unlikely to budge. Even then, these rumors will not go anywhere until the 2027 trade deadline.

Add us as a preferred source on Google