The Raptors need 3-point shooting, but they also like their players to be big, athletic, and at least decent defenders. Trey Murphy checks all of those boxes. He averages 38.2% shooting on a high volume of 3-pointers for his career and brings great length and athleticism, which is why he’s been tagged as a great fit for the Raptors on several occasions, whether it be by Bleacher Report or The Athletic’s Eric Koreen.
But the Raptors aren’t the only team interested in a 25-year-old sharpshooter who’s under contract for the next three seasons. Detroit, Indiana, and Golden State have already been reported to be interested in Murphy. The Pelicans don’t have to trade him and can wait for an offer that’s too good to refuse—which seems to be their offseason approach, judging by recent reporting from NBA insider Jake Fischer.
“The Pelicans are known to ‘want a lot’ for Murphy, as one interested team told The Stein Line last week, but they will at least listen,” Fischer wrote on the latest edition of The Stein Line.
While we don’t know what “a lot” means precisely, it probably involves several first-round picks and/ or a young player for the Pelicans to develop. That makes the dream of seeing Murphy space the floor in Toronto seem more like a far-fetched vision than anything else. The Raptors are reportedly looking for a center upgrade and also desperately need improved guard play. So, they probably won’t want to use “a lot” of their trade assets on a wing who would help the offense but wouldn’t take over as the true superstar number-one option this team is missing next to Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors will be active, but don’t have to make a big move this summer
After a playoff run that saw the Raptors push the more veteran Cavs to Game 7 and an offensive explosion from Scottie Barnes, there are plenty of reasons for the Raptors to consider making a big move. GM Bobby Webster said in his end-of-season media availability that they would be opportunistic and look at the best two-way players in the league.
There’s little doubt that the Raptors need to make a trade to take their offense to the next level and raise their ceiling. However, that trade doesn’t necessarily have to be this season if the market isn’t great. A rotation of Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, the 19th pick in the draft, and Sandro Mamukelashvili or whoever takes his role is not bad. It is what got the Raptors to the playoffs this year, and would give them another season to develop Murray-Boyles, Shead, and Walter, and evaluate the other pieces. It may not be what most of us want to see, but it also wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Add us as a preferred source on Google