The New Orleans Pelicans could blow up their current roster following yet another disappointing season.
The Pelicans finished the 2024-25 NBA season as the 14th seed in the Western Conference with a 21-61 record. Now, multiple reports have surfaced that the Pelicans are open to trading almost everyone on their roster not named Zion Williamson.
And the Pelicans’ plans are what the San Antonio Spurs could take advantage of and swoop in for a talented star like Trey Murphy.
The Spurs already have a talented core of Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle. On top of that, the franchise landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Ex-NBA player Lou Williams also tipped that the Spurs may be open to trading the No. 2 pick for a superstar like Kevin Durant to enter win-now mode.
NBA analyst Bill Simmons recently discussed how the Pelicans’ struggles could be a blessing in disguise for the Spurs.
“New Orleans, you’re in no man’s land. Are you keeping Zion? I guess you are. You have the seventh pick. It’s not in the top five. Could you use Trey Murphy and the seventh pick to get somebody awesome? I don’t know.
“Could you try doing your version of the Mikal Bridges trade with Trey Murphy and just get a [lot] of stuff? I don’t know,” Simmons said on his podcast.
So what can the Pelicans do with Trey Murphy? Simmons explained: “I’m going to take you a step further. That’s the guy I think the Spurs should get [over Durant].”
He added: “If I was the Spurs consigliere, I’d be like: ‘Are we getting Durant? He’s 37. Let’s give up some of the same stuff we’re gonna give up for Durant, throw some more picks in it and actually try to get Murphy, who’s hitting his mid 20s, and try to get somebody who’s actually more on our timeline, who’s going to give us a lot of the stuff we would’ve wanted anyway.’”
Simmons also explained how throwing in a few more draft picks for the 24-year-old forward makes sense as it aligns with the Spurs’ timeline.
In addition, Simmons believes this is the perfect time to trade for the NOLA star as his value on the market is lower than it should be.
“And I also think his value is lower than it should be because he didn’t work out all last year because he knew if he was getting the extension or not,” Simmons stated.
“Then he immediately gets hurt start of the season, didn’t start to look like himself until the last part of the year. So, you’re kind of buying low weirdly even though you and I both know he’s good,” he finished.
Despite struggling with injuries and whatnot, Murphy still averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game for the Pelicans in 53 appearances.
Adding a young and talented player of his caliber alongside Wemby could very well be the missing piece of the puzzle for the Spurs as they will likely compete for an NBA Championship next season.
