The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for a lackluster trade package, but the New Orleans Pelicans had that chance first. Reports circulated for weeks that the Celtics viewed Trey Murphy as one of their ideal offseason targets. Once it became apparent that Brown was on the trade block, the Pelicans had a great chance to land him with Murphy being the main asset.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported today that a deal would have been done by last night if the Pelicans had any interest in at all at Brown. New Orleans was apparently one of the teams scared off by Brown due to his analytic stat numbers not impressing as much as other superstars. Boston became adamant about trading Brown once the situation escalated with him expressing unhappiness over how the franchise treated him.
The Pelicans chose to keep Murphy rather than taking the chance on the former NBA Finals MVP. Considering Philadelphia sent a bad contract and two draft picks, New Orleans may have been able to trade Murphy and one draft pick for Brown. The Pelicans ultimately didn’t want Brown and decided to let their offseason play out with other teams calling for Murphy.
Trey Murphy Still On Pelicans Trade Block
New Orleans is reportedly still shopping Murphy for deals and hopes to cash in on his value as other names get traded and removed off the board. The Brown trade could have improved their chances for success next season by pairing JB with Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray.
However, the goal appears to be to get assets for the future via young prospects and draft picks. Management reportedly wants up to three first round picks in a trade for Murphy to prioritize that over an established star like Brown and giving up future picks themselves.
Brown was not logical once New Orleans made that clear, but other teams will have a chance at Murphy. Both losing teams needing young talent to improve and good teams one piece away from NBA Championship contention can talk themselves into trading for Murphy to get them to the next level.
Which Teams Can Trade For Trey Murphy?
Quite a few teams have been linked to Murphy over the past few weeks. The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers were considered the favorites last week in very early discussions before the free agency negotiation period started on Tuesday evening.
Other respected franchises like the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Celtics are still on the rumor mill to have interest in Murphy. Both his ability to shoot the three pointer and defend make Murphy a highly respected player. The young age of 26 sees Murphy holding extra value since he’s now entering his prime.
New Orleans must figure out which teams are willing to offer a lot of draft picks and/or a foundation piece from their roster. Murphy is their last strong trade chip since the other names they could trade have more red flags. The trade must work out for the Pelicans, or the franchise will be in a terrible situation.
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