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The transactions seemingly have come nonstop for the Detroit Pistons this offseason. But they’ve yet to address perhaps their biggest needs – a true second option who can both space the floor and take pressure off Cade Cunningham.
One player they’ve been linked to could grow into that role. The Pistons are among the teams circling around New Orleans Pelicans rising star Trey Murphy III, according to HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto.
Murphy, a 6-foot-8, 206-pound wing, averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 66 games last season on 47% overall shooting and 37.9% shooting from 3 for a New Orleans team that finished 26-56, 11th in the Western Conference.
“The Pistons have consistently circled the wagons on Murphy in trade talks, but felt the price was too high,” Scotto wrote Thursday, July 2. “With the asking price dropping from the equivalent of four to three first-round picks in any Murphy trade talks recently, will Detroit have more of an appetite to make a trade following the loss of Tobias Harris in free agency?”
TRENDING: Javonte Green to re-sign with Pistons on one-year contract
Murphy, 26, is on a team-friendly contract relative to his production, making $87 million through his next three seasons ($29 million average annually). And he knows Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, who was the Pelicans general manager when they traded to acquire him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Virginia.
There’s familiarity both ways, with former Pistons lead executives Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver in Year 2 running the Pelicans.
Here’s what Murphy would bring to the Pistons, and what it could take to acquire him.
After losing Tobias Harris in free agency, the Pistons have one true power forward on the roster in John Collins. Whereas Collins is more of a power forward/center hybrid, Murphy can slide between the two, three or four, though his frame is slight. Regardless of where he slots in positionally, he’s a strong fit for the Pistons.
Murphy, entering his sixth season, is a career 38.2% shooter from 3 on 2.6 makes per game, and also is one of the best finishers in the league among wings, his listed position on Cleaning The Glass. His 74% clip at the rim in 2025-26 ranked in the 86th percentile, and he has hovered between the 78th and 96th percentiles in rim percentage over the past four seasons.
Though Murphy isn’t the type of iso-heavy scorer teams lean on in the playoffs, he has emerged as an efficient three-level scorer who would thrive playing off Cunningham’s gravity.
He would allow the Pistons to continue fielding a big starting lineup – Cunningham-Ausar Thompson-Murphy-Collins-Jalen Duren works on paper, with four shooters, two strong rebounders, length on the defensive end and every player standing at least 6-6.
The Pelicans, according to Scotto, are looking for three first-round picks in equivalent value. Holland, the fifth overall pick in 2024, and LeVert, a veteran wing, meet the salary requirements. Parting with Holland, their second-best perimeter defender last season after Thompson, would be a tough but necessarily addition to satisfy New Orleans' desire for assets.
This trade likely has the Pistons sending up to three firsts that all probably fall outside of the lottery (1-14), assuming the next three seasons go how the Pistons anticipate and they're in title contention.
Given the Pelicans have been unwilling to part with Murphy thus far, it's unclear if they would settle for Detroit's offer. But for the Pistons, the upside of adding Murphy to the current core could pay off big and helped them keep pace in the Eastern Conference arms race.
[ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons linked to Pelicans' Trey Murphy in trade talks. How would he fit?
Continue reading...
One player they’ve been linked to could grow into that role. The Pistons are among the teams circling around New Orleans Pelicans rising star Trey Murphy III, according to HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto.
Murphy, a 6-foot-8, 206-pound wing, averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 66 games last season on 47% overall shooting and 37.9% shooting from 3 for a New Orleans team that finished 26-56, 11th in the Western Conference.
“The Pistons have consistently circled the wagons on Murphy in trade talks, but felt the price was too high,” Scotto wrote Thursday, July 2. “With the asking price dropping from the equivalent of four to three first-round picks in any Murphy trade talks recently, will Detroit have more of an appetite to make a trade following the loss of Tobias Harris in free agency?”
TRENDING: Javonte Green to re-sign with Pistons on one-year contract
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Murphy, 26, is on a team-friendly contract relative to his production, making $87 million through his next three seasons ($29 million average annually). And he knows Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, who was the Pelicans general manager when they traded to acquire him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Virginia.
There’s familiarity both ways, with former Pistons lead executives Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver in Year 2 running the Pelicans.
Here’s what Murphy would bring to the Pistons, and what it could take to acquire him.
Trey Murphy would fit Pistons like a glove
After losing Tobias Harris in free agency, the Pistons have one true power forward on the roster in John Collins. Whereas Collins is more of a power forward/center hybrid, Murphy can slide between the two, three or four, though his frame is slight. Regardless of where he slots in positionally, he’s a strong fit for the Pistons.
Murphy, entering his sixth season, is a career 38.2% shooter from 3 on 2.6 makes per game, and also is one of the best finishers in the league among wings, his listed position on Cleaning The Glass. His 74% clip at the rim in 2025-26 ranked in the 86th percentile, and he has hovered between the 78th and 96th percentiles in rim percentage over the past four seasons.
Though Murphy isn’t the type of iso-heavy scorer teams lean on in the playoffs, he has emerged as an efficient three-level scorer who would thrive playing off Cunningham’s gravity.
He would allow the Pistons to continue fielding a big starting lineup – Cunningham-Ausar Thompson-Murphy-Collins-Jalen Duren works on paper, with four shooters, two strong rebounders, length on the defensive end and every player standing at least 6-6.
Trey Murphy trade package for Pistons-Pelicans
- Pelicans send: Trey Murphy III.
- Pistons send: Caris LeVert, Ron Holland, 2027 first (top-four protected), 2029 first (top-four protected), 2028 first-round pick swap.
The Pelicans, according to Scotto, are looking for three first-round picks in equivalent value. Holland, the fifth overall pick in 2024, and LeVert, a veteran wing, meet the salary requirements. Parting with Holland, their second-best perimeter defender last season after Thompson, would be a tough but necessarily addition to satisfy New Orleans' desire for assets.
This trade likely has the Pistons sending up to three firsts that all probably fall outside of the lottery (1-14), assuming the next three seasons go how the Pistons anticipate and they're in title contention.
Given the Pelicans have been unwilling to part with Murphy thus far, it's unclear if they would settle for Detroit's offer. But for the Pistons, the upside of adding Murphy to the current core could pay off big and helped them keep pace in the Eastern Conference arms race.
[ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons linked to Pelicans' Trey Murphy in trade talks. How would he fit?
Continue reading...
