Analyst Predicts Details of New Orleans Pelicans Emerging Star Guard Extension

An NBA analyst has revealed their prediction on Trey Murphy's extension with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) drives around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) during the second quarter of game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a lot of attention given to Brandon Ingram and his future with the New Orleans Pelicans and rightfully so. What the team decides to do with him will have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster.

Alas, his future isn’t the only one that is currently up in the air. The same can be said about Trey Murphy, who has yet to sign a rookie-scale extension with the franchise.

The Pelicans have made it clear that they want to make their 2021 first-round pick a part of their long-term core. One of the reasons Ingram has been involved in trade rumors is to open up a starting spot and a bigger role for Murphy.

Always cap-conscious, it will be interesting to see what New Orleans does with Murphy. 

They have never paid the luxury tax and it is hard to envision ownership being willing to do so now unless it is clear they are true contenders in the Western Conference.

What will help the Virginia product’s case in negotiations is how popular he is around the NBA. His archetype is one that teams are investing heavily in after seeing the Boston Celtics win a championship with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as their top two.

With positionless basketball becoming more and more popular, having versatile, two-way wings, which Murphy is, is imperative. What makes Murphy so intriguing is that he has shown glimpses of being able to take his game to another level should he be presented with more opportunities on the court.

When negotiating long-term, rookie-scale deals, projections are as important as production that has already been provided. He has shown the ability, but will Murphy be more than a 3-and-D guy?

Whatever it is the Pelicans think about him, you can be sure that the 24-year-old will be paid handsomely. As shared by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, a large extension in the neighborhood of five years and $131-136 million, similar to the deal Jaden McDaniels signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, is expected.

“Like [Jalen] Johnson with the [Atlanta] Hawks, Trey Murphy III has fans in competing front offices throughout the league. The New Orleans Pelicans face several decisions over the next year, including a potential veteran extension for Brandon Ingram. The team may need to decide between the two and may lean toward Murphy,” Pincus wrote.

Earlier in the year, Pincus revealed that there was a gap between the two sides. While Murphy was seeking $20 million annually, New Orleans was in the $15-18 million range.

The current expectation, of being in McDaniels’ range, will blow all of those numbers out of the water. His AAV is north of $26 million; if the Pelicans don’t lock Murphy into a deal ahead of the deadline and he is a restricted free agent next summer, things are going to get extremely expensive.

All it takes is one franchise with cap space to like Murphy enough to throw a near-max deal at him and throw a wrench in New Orleans’ plans.