Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are drawing trade calls as the New Orleans Pelicans head into the NBA Draft without a first-round pick. Joe Dumars has kept the door open to moving a player if it helps the team get back into the first round.
Joe Dumars and the trade phone
The Pelicans lost their first-round slot in last year's move from No. 23 to No. 13, a deal that let them select Derik Queen. Dumars later said that pick could be viewed as the Pelicans getting a first-round selection a year early, and two days after the season ended in April he said the team could still make a trade to get back into the first round this year.
Now the calls are coming in on Murphy and Jones. Dumars said his phone has been ringing with teams asking about both players, but none of those conversations have brought an offer strong enough for him to act.
Herb Jones and Trey Murphy interest
Dumars said, "I am open to whatever comes across my desk." He also said, "Whatever phone calls I get, I’m open to it to listen and see if this is the right thing for us at this moment." That leaves New Orleans in a clear holding pattern: listening, but not moving unless the return fits what the Pelicans want back.
The front office is working from a roster that has finished with less than 30 wins in each of the past two seasons, so the pressure is not just to keep one player or another. It is to find value fast enough to change the shape of the team without giving up the wrong piece for too little.
Brooklyn, New York draft pressure
The NBA Draft is set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York, and the Pelicans still do not have a first-round pick in hand. They may still try to buy their way back into the round, but that would likely require a trade that moves one of the names already drawing interest.
That is why the Murphy and Jones calls matter now. New Orleans can wait and see whether the market improves before the draft begins, or decide that the price is too low and keep both players while looking for another path to add more quality pieces.
