The New Orleans Pelicans have a couple of players that contenders have been trying to trade for. Trey Murphy III is one of the most popular trade targets in the NBA. He has proven to be one of the best 3-and-D players in the league.
Dejounte Murray played well after recovering from a torn Achilles last season, and he has been on some other teams’ radar. New Orleans has refused offers for any of their players so far. However, a trade proposal from Bleacher Report could be too strong an offer to refuse.
Pelicans Add Treasure Trove of Assets in Proposed Trade
Here is the full trade proposal:
San Antonio Spurs Acquire: Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray
New Orleans Pelicans Acquire: De’Aaron Fox, Luke Kornet, 2027 first-round pick (via ATL), 2028 first-round pick (via BOS), 2030 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick (via SAC), 2027 second-round pick, 2028 second-round pick (NOP’s own), 2029 second-round pick (NOP’s own)
Fox is a two-time All-Star and is coming off an All-Star appearance last season. His performance in the NBA Finals against the Knicks was troubling, but he was also injured. Getting him in return for a player coming off a major injury and a wing would be a massive win.
Adding in the fact that the Spurs would send over four first-round picks in exchange for those two players would make this trade a no-brainer for New Orleans. Last season, they finished 30 games under .500. They clearly are not close to playoff contention.
Getting as many draft assets as possible is good, even with the new lottery rules in effect. It’s clear that they are not close to being a title contender, so flipping the assets they have for future assets would be a smart move. Kornet is a solid backup big, as well.
New Orleans has refused to make any moves for most of the offseason. They just signed Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year deal, further indicating their move towards youth. This trade would fully shut the door on this era and move towards a new one.
New Orleans Has to Start Making Moves
Since trading Anthony Davis, the Pelicans have struggled to make the playoffs. In fact, they have only made the playoffs twice since that trade. They haven’t won a playoff series since Davis was on the roster, which is indicative of how poorly their rebuild went.
Last season, New Orleans had the eighth-worst defense in the league. Adding more talent overall will help them with that. They also need guys who will be able to play more games. Zion Williamson and Murray have missed too many games in the last few seasons for them to be threats to make the playoffs.
The Pelicans are unsure what kind of team they want to be. They have to make a decision on that soon before the window to get a real return on their assets closes.
Pelicans Add All-Star Point Guard and Gold Mine of Assets in Bold Trade Idea