Trey Murphy III, Pelicans Agree to 4-Year, $112M Rookie Max Contract After NBA Rumors
October 21, 2024
The New Orleans Pelicans chose to reward their most promising young player on Monday.
2021 first-round pick Trey Murphy III agreed to a four-year, $112 million contract extension with the Pelicans ahead of the rookie extension deadline, his agents told NBA insider Marc Stein. Murphy's name was floated in trade rumors over the offseason, but Stein previously reported that he entered negotiations with New Orleans to stay put with an extension.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Murphy's contract extension, which keeps him in New Orleans for the next five seasons, does not include a player option or incentives.
Murphy was mentioned as a potential trade target for the New York Knicks over the offseason, but SNY's Ian Begley dispelled that notion.
"The Pelicans have been signaling for a while that they value Murphy III highly and see him as a vital part of the future. So it would be surprising to see New Orleans move Murphy III for a package involving Mitchell Robinson. I don't say that to slight Robinson. ... I just don't think moving him could bring back a player like Murphy III," Begley wrote at the time.
Murphy blossomed into a key "glue guy" for the Pelicans in his third season. Across 57 games with 23 starts during the 2023-24 campaign, he averaged career highs of 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He helped New Orleans make it out of the play-in tournament to earn the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, though the team fell to the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
The Pelicans announced that Murphy is expected to miss the start of the 2024-25 season due to a hamstring strain suffered in practice. Once he gets healthy, he will continue his ascent toward becoming one of the top 3-and-D wing players in the league.
New Orleans will host the Chicago Bulls in its season opener on Wednesday.
