After a postseason collapse that eliminated the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the franchise may look to upgrade its roster.
Offensive help outside of Cade Cunningham was an issue in the postseason, and one answer to this problem may be New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III.
“Someone like New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy, who will enter next season on the second year of his four-year, $112 million deal, could be more interesting (for the Pistons),” The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson suggested. “He turns 26 on June 18 and has increased his points, rebounds, and assists in each of his first five years in the league.”
Pistons Lose Wing Depth in Free Agency
With Tobias Harris and Kevin Huerter hitting the free agency market this offseason, Detroit will have to address the wing depth on the roster.
Pursuing a score-first forward like Trey Murphy III would help provide scoring support alongside Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
It was evident that Cunningham needed help during the playoffs. The Pistons star averaged 28.1 points per game. After Cunningham, Tobias Harris (18.1 points per game) and Duncan Robinson (11.8 points per game) were the other top scorers for Detroit in the postseason.
It was a stretch of games to forget for Jalen Duren, who found no momentum while averaging 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
The Pistons went from averaging 117.8 points per game in the regular season to just 104.9 in the postseason. This resulted in the No. 1 seed in the East’s early exit.
New Orleans’ lead point-scorer in 2025-26, Trey Murphy III, could add a reliable scoring option for the Pistons while providing support on the defensive end.
Who Would Pistons Offer in Trade for Trey Murphy III?
There are plenty of assets that the Pistons could offer in a deal for Trey Murphy III. It will depend on whether Detroit is willing to part ways with up-and-coming players to land a potential All-Star like Murphy III.
Patterson suggested that Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland, and Caris LeVert are three possible players that would be added to a deal like this.
Stewart, who’s 25 years old, provides paint protection (1.2 blocks per game in 2025-26) that the Pelicans lacked outside of Yves Missi in 2025-26. Ron Holland, 20, brings more defensive depth after averaging 1.2 steals per game on a limited 19.9 minutes per game last season.
LeVert would be the salary cap dump that adds veteran help to any team. The 31-year-old forward is owed $14.8 million in his final year under contract in 2026-27.
Ausar Thompson could be a large asset to the Pelicans in a deal. However, Thompson carries higher value than the three other Pistons listed. Pelicans’ vice president of basketball operations, Troy Weaver, was Detroit’s general manager when the franchise selected Thompson with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Pistons President Already Has Familiarity With Trey Murphy III
Another factor that could play into the Pistons potentially trading for Trey Murphy III is the president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon.
Langdon was in the Pelicans’ front office when the organization selected Murphy III with the No. 17 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Virginia.
“We wanted high-character human beings,” Langdon said in the decision to draft Murphy III nearly five years ago. “(Murphy) can really shoot the ball.”
The Pelicans’ wing has done just that since entering the league. Murphy III has gone from averaging 5.4 points on 39.3/38.2/8.2 shooting splits in his rookie season to 21.5 points per game on 47.0/37.9/88.6 splits in 2025-26.
Pistons Urged to Trade for $112 Million Forward: Report