Ahead of the first round of the NBA draft on Tuesday, Sam Amick of The Athletic appeared on KNBR 104.5 FM in San Francisco (YouTube link) and said that trade chatter involving Pelicans swingman Trey Murphy III continues to percolate.
“There is definitely a bunch of Trey Murphy noise,” Amick told radio hosts John Dickinson and Larry Krueger (hat tip to NBC Sports Bay Area). “It seems pretty clear that he has also signaled a desire to play elsewhere.
“The market is going to be pretty robust. As of a few days back, on the Warriors‘ side, my understanding was they did not see themselves as being in the mix. (The Nets) and the Clippers were mentioned as teams that were out front in that race, but I think the list is very long. I think that (the Pistons) come to mind. (The Celtics), actually, Trey is seen as a potential plan B for them if they miss out on Giannis (Antetokounmpo), which they obviously did. So, Trey is going to have a lot of suitors.”
The Pelicans were rumored to be seeking a lottery pick in the 2026 draft, which may have required moving Murphy. During Amick’s radio hit, which happened before the start of the draft, he added that there were some whispers about the possibility of the Hawks acquiring Murphy in a deal involving the No. 8 overall pick, which was originally New Orleans’ selection (it was traded in last year’s Derik Queen deal).
Obviously, nothing came to fruition involving Murphy during the first round of the draft, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Pelicans will be taking him off the market.
While I’m wary of reading too much into it, given that it was a remark made in a live setting and wasn’t repeated when Amick filed a brief report on Murphy on The Athletic on Tuesday night, his suggestion about the 26-year-old potentially having “signaled a desire” to play elsewhere is notable and could help explain why the Pelicans seem more open to discussing Murphy trade scenarios this offseason than in past transaction cycles. However, the former Virginia standout still has three years and $87MM left on his current contract, so even if that’s accurate, his leverage at this time may be limited and there’s no guarantee New Orleans will make a deal.
Murphy is a career 38.2% three-point shooter who has averaged over 21 points per game in each of the past two seasons and made a career-high 3.2 three-pointers per game in 2025/26. The Pelicans’ asking price for him is believed to start with multiple first-round picks.
In other trade-related Pelicans news, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that multiple teams, including the Lakers, have inquired about New Orleans center Yves Missi, who will be entering his third NBA season. So far though, the Pelicans have rebuffed offers for the big man, Begley adds.
