With Jaylen Brown off the board, people in league circles are wondering if Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III will be the next notable trade candidate on the move, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Scotto reports that New Orleans’ asking price for Murphy is believed to have dropped to the equivalent of three first-round picks instead of four. While some executives who spoke to HoopsHype believe that’s a reasonable ask, others think the ceiling should be two first-rounders, pointing out that’s what it took to land stars like Kawhi Leonard and Brown.
According to Scotto, the Warriors, Pistons, Hawks, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Spursand Lakers expressed trade interest in Murphy prior to the trade deadline, but some of those teams are believed to no longer be in the mix. Indiana, Portland, and Los Angeles, for instance, made moves for Ivica Zubac, Ja Morantand Walker Kesslerrespectively, using some of the assets that might have been involved in offers for Murphy, while San Antonio went to the NBA Finals and isn’t looking to significantly shake up its roster.
However, Golden State, Detroit, and Atlanta are still believed to be eyeing Murphy, along with the Celtics and ClippersScotto writes. All of those teams have access to the sort of draft capital that the Pelicans would be seeing, with Boston and L.A. bolstering their collections of assets via the Brown and Leonard deals. The Warriors’ level of interest in pursuing Murphy at this time remains up in the air while they wait to see what happens with LeBron JamesScotto adds.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Although the Celtics might have interest in Murphy, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscription required) that the Brown trade wasn’t made with a specific follow-up move in mind. Himmelsbach also hears from a source that Boston doesn’t view the deal – which sends out Brown’s three-year, $183MM contract – as a “cost-cutting transaction” and that the front office didn’t have a directive from ownership to trade the All-Star wing.
- Checking in on the Jalen Duren situation, Scotto observes that the restricted free agent center and Kings big man Domantas Sabonis share an agency, which may be one reason why rumors about a possible sign-and-trade sending Duren to Sacramento have been so loud despite there being no indication that the Pistons are interested in pursuing it. Sabonis’ representatives would presumably like to get the veteran to a situation where he could contend, while Duren could potentially secure a bigger payday with the Kings than what the Pistons are currently willing to offer him.
- Hawks sharpshooter Buddy Hield continues to be included in trade conversations, according to Scotto. Although Atlanta decided to guarantee Hield’s $9.66MM salary for the coming season, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll return to the team for 2026/27.
- The Timberwolves are expected to try to add a big man who can stretch the floor after losing Naz Reid in the LaMelo Ball trade. While targeting a player using the taxpayer mid-level exception is one option for Minnesota, there’s a belief that the team may also look to flip Josh Green‘s expiring $14.7MM contract to address that position, Scotto reports.
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