The Detroit Pistons have one less option as the trade deadline approaches, as it appears Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans is off limits.
TMIII has been a popular target for both fans and pundits alike, who saw his shooting and secondary scoring as the perfect fit for the Pistons.
The idea did make some sense, as he’s a fit skill wise, and the Pelicans aren’t going anywhere this season and could kickstart a rebuild around Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears by cashing in players like Zion Williamson, Herb Jones and Murphy III.
But according to Chris Haynes, the Pelicans have rebuffed calls on these three players, and all three are still expected to be in New Orleans after the trade deadline has passed.
Sources: New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 9, 2026
To be fair, there was never any action here nor indication that the Pistons were even considering going after Murphy III, as most of the talk was fan fiction fueled by podcasters like Zach Lowe and Bill Simmons.
I saw some Pistons fans saying things like, “Troy Weaver is making the same mistakes,” which I assume is in reference to his propensity to hold onto veterans past their expiration date, which he did several times with the Pistons, failing to trade guys like Jerami Grant, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks before their trade value diminished.
I have to cut Weaver and Dumars some slack here, as this is not the same situation, and he’d be smart to hold onto what he has.
Why would the Pelicans trade Trey Murphy III to the Pistons? Or anyone?
The situation with these three players in New Orleans is not remotely the same as the one Weaver had in Detroit.
TMIII is a wing who scores 20+ per game, he’s just entering his prime, and he’s on a team-friendly deal, so why in the world would you want to trade him? I could see if he was pushing 30 years old, but he’s not, so there is no reason for New Orleans to ditch a guy in this context.
Players like TMIII are exactly what you are trying to find in the draft anyway, and there is a chance that the Pels are competitive again before his contract is up, as he’s under contract for three more seasons after this one.
New Orleans doesn’t risk anything by holding onto him now, and you could argue that the market for his services would be even more robust next summer, so they don’t have much to lose here by being patient.
And what exactly are the Pistons going to trade them? TMIII is better than Jaden Ivey and plays a more valuable position, not to mention the fact that New Orleans already has a couple of talented young guards.
Ivey is barely clinging to his spot in the rotation at the moment and being outplayed by a two-way guy, so would you be excited to give up your best trade asset for him? Me either, and that's before you even get to his restricted free agency.
Tobias Harris’ expiring deal would be more valuable to a team that was a big free-agent buyer or needed the financial flexibility, but the Pels aren’t a free-agent destination and already have some amount of financial flexibility.
The picks the Pistons could send will likely be outside the lottery, so the chances of finding a player better than TMIII are low.
The only way the Pistons could even make it worth their time is by including either Ausar Thompson or Ron Holland II, which isn’t going to happen, so we’d be a standstill with this one anyway.
TMIII is a nice fit on paper for the Pistons, but logic dictates there is no real reason for the Pels to trade him, especially when they have no motivation to tank. Even if the Pistons were to send them their 2026 pick to replace the one Weaver stupidly traded away, it’s likely to be in the late 20’s and not nearly enough to move the needle for a borderline All-Star.
This one was dead in the water before the Pelicans made it official, so trade dreamers can probably focus their attention elsewhere.