Trey Murphy III is exactly the type of player who can gel seamlessly into any possible lineup one can envision involving him and the Los Angeles Lakers. The dreams of those lineups will not hold up against what the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly want for the two-way forward.

The Lakers are not the only team in the Pacific Division who could greatly benefit from the presence of Murphy. The Golden State Warriors have made recent inquiries on the Pelicans forward. However, New Orleans remains steadfast in their desire to keep him in town.

Jake Fischer reported, “Sources say that the Warriors have a strong affinity for Murphy and have made outreach to New Orleans as recently as this summer. Yet sources say that the Pelicans, to be clear, have batted away calls for the 25-year-old, valuing him highly.”

How highly might that be? Well, if Brett Siegel is to be believed, the price is truly astounding.

Siegel wrote on Twitter/X, “Pels have maintained an exceptionally high asking price for Trey Murphy: multiple firsts and proven, young talent, as they should for a player of his caliber and potential. I’d be shocked if he was moved before the season.”

Trey Murphy sweepstakes is one Lakers will not enter

If the Pelicans were to let up and allow bidders to come in and offer deals at their team’s asking price, the Lakers do not have the chips to play. Rob Pelinka could not even really satisfy the demand for multiple first-round picks at this point in time.

The Lakers’ tradeable firsts are in 2031 and 2032. They can only send one or the other outright. Their picks in 2026, 2028, and 2030 would need to be pick swaps.

Perhaps the argument can be made that if Austin Reaves is the focal point of the deal for Murphy, there would be some flexibility with that asking price. However, that immediately raises the question of whether this was a deal where dangling Reaves truly makes sense.

The looming extension for Reaves will naturally raise some questions about his future. Murphy’s affordable four-year, $112 million is attractive too. However, the overall asset management raises enough debate for the Lakers front office to second guess the potential upgrade to fit.

Murphy averaged 21.2 points per game, shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25. The most attractive feature of his offensive game will undoubtedly be his catch and shoot ability.

Murphy popped 40.0 percent from downtown on 5.4 attempts per game in 2024-25. The Pelicans forward 40.1 percent from the field overall.

The Lakers definitely need an upgrade to the shooting around Luka Doncic. The Lakers superstar point guard has always thrived with shooters knocking down their easy perimeter looks around him. The price of this marksman, though, appears challenging to meet.