The Detroit Pistons could potentially cash in some of their chips for Trey Murphy III, but it will come with a cost and some risk.
Murphy III is a guy many Pistons fans have had their eyes on, as he would fill a distinct need as a 20+ ppg scorer who can fill it up from 3-point range. The Pistons are among the worst teams in the league in 3-point shooting and aren’t always able to overcome it with defense and paint scoring, as we saw in the recent loss to Boston.
Bill Simmons suggested that TMIII would be a better target than Lauri Markkanen, and I agree, as Murphy actually plays defense and is making about half of what Markkanen makes.
The Pistons could also have an advantage dealing with the Pelicans, as Trajan Langdon has connections there, and New Orleans GM Troy Weaver drafted most of the Pistons’ young players, and we know he never falls out of love.
The trade Simmons suggested would be a departure from what Trajan Langdon has done so far, but is it worth the risk?
Detroit Pistons: Trading for Trey Murphy III
On a recent podcast, Simmons suggested the Pistons could flip both Jaden Ivey and Ron Holland II along with two first-round picks to land Murphy from the Pelicans.
I’m a confessed fanboy of Ron Holland, so I’d balk at any trade that included both him and Ivey, who are both younger than Murphy and could eventually be better. Of the two, Ivey’s future with the team is less clear, and it makes sense that he’d have to be involved, especially considering Troy Weaver drafted him.
It would be far better for the Pistons to include more picks (which are going to be in the 20’s anyway) than to throw two players to the Pels for Murphy, who is good, but not a star and has been hurt a lot, including this season.
So has Ivey, so that’s a wash, but the inclusion of Holland might be a deal breaker for the Pistons.
The flip side to that is TMIII is locked into a team-friendly contract that pays him $27-31 million over the next three years after this one, so you’d be getting his prime years for a relative bargain.
It’s not a move that will necessarily push the Pistons over the top, but Murphy is a guy who could fit into their core and isn’t a one-year rental or overpriced veteran on a max deal.
It’s an interesting proposal the Pistons should probably explore, but they won’t give up too much of their young talent to do it, and they shouldn’t, as OKC has shown that internal growth can be enough with the right complementary moves.