Pacers interested in Trey Murphy, per report. Pelicans 'want a lot'

Marc Stein reports that the New Orleans Pelicans are willing to field offers from wing Trey Murphy and that the Pacers are one of the two teams to expressed interest:

External trade interest in New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III remains intense, league sources say. Yet I was told this week that the inquiries have all been of an inbound nature. League sources say that the Pelicans have not offered Murphy anywhere and that this is the first time their new front office regime headed by Joe Dumars has been truly willing to field offers for Murphy. As one team interested in Murphy put it to me this week: “They want a lot.” Two teams known to have expressed interest in the 25-year-old sharpshooter, I’m told, are Detroit and Indiana.

What would it take from the Pacers? Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Pacers’ first-round picks in 2027, 2031, 2033 is a possibility. Indiana could also include pick swaps in the deal, though the Pelicans might want Andrew Nembhard.

Here’s what IndyStar Pacers Insider Dustin Dopirak wrote earlier this month about Murphy:

If Pritchard were to create a wing in a lab to fit into the Pacers’ system on both ends of the floor, he would look a lot like Trey Murphy III.The 6-8, 206-pounder has toiled in anonymity in New Orleans but he’s the near perfect prototype for the modern 3-and-D wing. He’s averaged better than 21 points per game in each of the past two seasons with nearly 60% of his career field goal attempts coming beyond the 3-point arc. He’s hit at least 150 3s in each of the past four seasons including a career-high 214 this season. He’s made 38.2% of his career attempts and he’s particularly effective in catch-and-shoot situations. This season, according to NBA.com’s tracking data, he made 42.6% of his catch-and-shoot 3s and 40.2% of the 3-pointers he took within two seconds of catching the ball.

Murphy also averaged career highs in rebounds (5.7 per game) and steals (1.5 per game) with the kind of length and athleticism that allows him to defend multiple positions. As good and as effective as Nesmith has been at small forward since he was acquired from Boston in 2022, Murphy would be an upgrade on both ends of the floor.

That being said, Murphy is due $27 million in 2026-27 so if Haliburton, Siakam and Zubac were all considered off limits in a Murphy trade, the Pacers would need to send two players from the group of Nesmith, Nembhard, McConnell, Toppin or Walker to make a trade work in terms of a salary match. Plus, the Pelicans have already indicated that they’re looking for a king’s ransom in terms of draft picks in any deal involving Murphy, something that would be on par with what the Grizzlies got from the Magic for Desmond Bane (four first-rounders) or what the Nets got from the Knicks for Mikal Bridges (five first-rounders). Though the Pacers might be interested in an upgrade at the 3, the gap between Nesmith and Murphy might not be enough for them to give up some of their depth and picks they can use to build their future.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Trey Murphy trade: What would it take for Pacers? Pelicans ‘want a lot’