Lakers Trey Murphy Trade Rumors Shut Down: Why Pelicans Star Is ‘Absolute Insanity’ to Move
The Lakers want Trey Murphy III. New Orleans is telling everyone they cannot have him.
The latest reporting around Murphy’s situation makes one thing crystal clear: any talk of trading the Pelicans’ 25-year-old wing is, in the words of one insider, “absolute insanity.” That language matters. When sources use words like “insanity” to describe trade speculation, the message is being delivered to the rest of the league: stop calling.
The Lakers have been doing exactly that. Calling, that is.
Los Angeles has been openly tied to Murphy in trade rumors for months. He is the perfect fit on paper. A 6-foot-8 wing who can defend three positions, hit corner threes, and play next to Luka Doncic without demanding the ball. He just signed a four-year, $112 million rookie extension that pays him $27 million this season and scales up to $31 million by year four. The contract is fair. The fit is obvious.
The Pelicans are not budging.
Here is why this matters for the Lakers offseason. Los Angeles has limited assets to work with. Their first-round pick situation is constrained. They have Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht as movable contracts. They have two future first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 that they can include in deals. That is not enough to outbid a team like the Suns or the Bulls if those teams get serious about Murphy.
And the Pelicans are not interested in moving him at any price.
Murphy is exactly the kind of player smart franchises do not trade. He is young. He is in his contract sweet spot. He fits multiple roster constructions. He has not had a major injury. His production is climbing. New Orleans is building around Murphy and Herbert Jones as the foundation of the next era.
The Pelicans would rather move Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, or even Zion Williamson before they would trade Murphy. That is how highly they value him internally.
For Lakers fans, this is the kind of update that hurts. Murphy is the perfect Luka fit. Pairing Murphy with LeBron and Luka would have given Los Angeles the ideal wing complement: a player who could defend the toughest assignment on the perimeter, knock down spot-up threes, and not interfere with the ball-handling responsibilities of the two stars.
The Lakers have a hole at that exact roster spot. Austin Reaves is more of a secondary creator than a 3-and-D wing. Hachimura is fine but inconsistent. Knecht is a rookie still developing. The roster needs a Murphy-type player.
It just is not going to be Murphy.
The next move for the Lakers is going to be uglier. They could pursue Lu Dort from the Thunder, who has a team option for 2026-27. They could explore the De’Andre Hunter market again after that trade fell through earlier this year. They could try to consolidate their assets into a package for a different wing.
None of those options is as clean as Murphy. The Hunter trade fell through because the Lakers and Cavaliers could not agree on the framework. Dort would cost a real package and the Thunder are not eager sellers. The market for 3-and-D wings is competitive across the league, and the Lakers are not the only team in the conversation.
Rob Pelinka has work to do. The Lakers need to add at least one more starting-quality wing this summer. The clock is ticking on LeBron’s career, the clock is ticking on Luka’s prime, and the front office cannot afford another mediocre summer.
Murphy is off the board. Time for plan B.
The Lakers will keep calling around the league. Some other Pelicans player might become available. Some other team might break and listen to a Murphy-style offer. But the headline is locked in: New Orleans will not trade Trey Murphy III, and the Lakers have to look elsewhere.
Plan B starts now.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
