Trey Murphy Is an Intriguing Target for the Wolves, but a Trade Won't Be Easy

Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III is the latest NBA veteran connected to the Timberwolves in trade rumors. His five-year growth at the professional level has made him one of the most underrated players in the league, but does he fit into Minnesota's future plans?

Wolves insider Jon Krawczynski reported on Monday that Murphy is among a handful of veteran players that Minnesota has discussed trading for. While Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks has dominated offseason headlines, ESPN's Shams Charania was asked on Monday which other players could be dealt in the near future, and he mentioned Murphy.

"Trey Murphy (and) Herb Jones. Those are two players that have gotten a ton of interest in the [trade] marketplace... Minnesota has been involved in the Giannis thing at different points. They're not involved right now. What happens there? They know they need to make an upgrade," Charania said.

"They know they need to add something to this team, with Anthony Edwards on it. So they've made a pitch on a bunch of different guys around the league. We'll see who they can come up with... The entire NBA is waiting on Giannis."

"Trey Murphy and Herb Jones have gotten a ton of interest in the market place..

I think a lot of people are monitoring the Kawhi Leonard situation with the Clippers..

Minnesota knows that they need to add something to their team" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/M99o3infGp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 22, 2026

Murphy just turned 26 years old, and he's coming off his best NBA season. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, all career-highs. He shot 47.0% from the field, 37.9% from three, and 88.9% from the free throw line.

Listed at 6-foot-8, Murphy has a lot of the same skills as Jaden McDaniels on the perimeter, but he's more of a polished product offensively. McDaniels has a more refined defensive game. Putting both players together at the forward positions would give Minnesota a very unique duo.

The biggest hurdle for Minnesota to acquire Murphy is building a package that would intrigue New Orleans. Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have been at the center of trade discussions so far this offseason, and it's fair to question whether or not the Pelicans would have any interest in either player.

Randle has a very similar game to Zion Williamson. New Orleans made an aggressive trade-up in last year's draft to acquire center Derik Queen, so they don't really need frontcourt help. Gobert would be a very clunky fit in their system. Neither Gobert's nor Randle's salary would match up with Murphy's, so New Orleans would likely have to include more.

If the Wolves wanted to pull something off, they might need to get a third team involved. At that point, a complicated deal to acquire a player that doesn't really fit a need on their roster doesn't make much sense. Murphy is young and talented, and Minnesota making a trade for him this offseason would require some roster gymnastics.

Add us as a preferred source on Google