The Pistons have retained interest in Trey Murphy II as a potential trade target, but the Pelicans still aren't offering him for anything reasonable. According to the latest reports, New Orleans is still for Murphy, a price that no suitor is willing to pay.
Murphy would be a good fit for the Pistons as a supporting piece, but Detroit is not in a position to overpay for anything less than their true second option. The Pistons need more shot creation and scoring help to support Cade Cunningham, which Murphy can't provide. To warrant a package like the Pelicans' demands, Murphy would need to have a proven track record of playing at an All-Star level.
The Pelicans are delusional about Murphy's trade value
Jalen Duren has arguably proven more in his NBA career than Murphy so far, since Duren made All-NBA and All-Star teams last season. But the Pistons still have questions about Duren as a long-term second option too after his playoff shortcomings.
In Murphy's case, he doesn't even have a real playoff history to look at. Murphy has made the playoffs two times with the Pelicans in 2022 and 2024, but only as a forgettable 8 seed. In both instances, they lost to the West's top seed and Murphy was never guarded like a star. In his most recent playoff run, Murphy wasn't able to help his team win a single game off the Thunder despite starting and playing 42 minutes per game.
It's clear that Murphy hasn't shown enough to warrant more than one or two first-round picks in return, but the Pelicans continue to cling onto him. It's a common pattern from their management, who previously made the same mistake in Detroit with some veteran pieces. In Murphy's case, the front office's mismanagement could ruin any chance he has to play on a playoff contender during his prime.
The Pistons would still need more beyond Murphy
Still, the Pistons might have been willing to overpay for Murphy if he was all they needed to win a title. The Knicks did the same with Mikal Bridges and ended up happy with the results. However, Detroit would still need to bring in a star second option on top of Murphy to be ready for top-tier contention.
If Murphy was added to the Pistons' current core of Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and (hopefully) Jalen Duren right now, the Pistons would still want a star scorer at power forward to round out the lineup. Murphy can be a great third or fourth option with his off-ball capabilities and supreme catch-and-shoot ability. But that's not enough to get the Pistons over the hump yet.
