Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale recently proposed three offseason trade targets for the Raptors: Trey Murphy III, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Michael Porter Jr. Murphy just showed the Raptors first-hand why he could be a massive difference-maker for this team.
He led the Pelicans to a 122-111 win over the Raptors, outscored all of the Raptors’ core pieces with 28 points, and hit a game-high five 3-pointers. His 5-8 shooting from behind the arc wasn’t an outlier either. Murphy has been a consistent volume shooter since he came into the league in 2021. So far, he has hit at least three 3-pointers in every game in March.
That kind of volume shooting and offensive gravity is exactly what the Raptors need.
The Raptors are struggling from three this season
3-point shooting isn’t one of the Raptors’ strong suits. They currently rank 26th in 3-point percentage and 25th in 3-point attempts. The only teams that have a worse shooting percentage than the Raptors are the Nets, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Kings.
The Raptors’ lack of shooting was also evident in their last three losses. They went 9-21 against the Timberwolves. RJ Barrett went 4-5 to hit almost half of the Raptors’ makes from long range. Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley combined to shoot 4-7. Everyone else went 1-9. It was much of the same against the Rockets. As a team, the Raptors shot 9-36 from three. Ingram, Barrett, Barnes, and Quickley combined for 6-23. The rest of the team went 3-13. 3-point shooting was also a problem in a must-win game against the Pelicans. The Raptors made 14 of their 44 attempts. Half of those makes came from role players and reserves, as Ingram, Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley combined to shoot 7-26. Several players are currently struggling to make threes.
Murphy, who has never shot worse than 36% from three for a full NBA season, would immediately become the Raptors’ best volume shooter. Having someone like him in the lineup would immediately create more space for Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram in the paint. It would also give Ingram a reliable kick-out option when he draws several defenders and help the Raptors put much-needed points on the board.
Murphy is also a good defender, who, at 6’8”, can bring a lot of size and versatility to the perimeter. Barnes, Ingram, and Murphy next to each other with a center would make for a massive lineup.
Murphy’s fit with the Raptors isn’t a question. At this point, the only two questions are what it would take to convince the Pelicans to move on from him and whether the Raptors are willing to pay that price. He certainly wouldn’t come cheap, but even a steep price could pay off with playoff success.