The Los Angeles Lakers could benefit a ton from upgrading the wing position. The New Orleans Pelicans have two players who would look phenomenal in purple and gold: Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones.
Kevin O'Connor reported a while back that there are 'no untouchables' in New Orleans. Now, O'Connor has followed up those rumors with ones detailing the Pelicans' top target in the 2025 NBA Draft. These will be important for the Lakers to pay attention to.
"League sources continue to cite the Pelicans as a team aggressively looking to move up in the draft, with most front-office executives believing [Ace] Bailey is the target of new general manager Joe Dumars," the NBA insider noted.
O'Connor suggested a trade in his latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft that sends Herb Jones out of New Orleans to make room for a move up to the third overall pick. The thing to consider here is that if the Pelicans plan on pursuing Bailey, that adds another wing to the mix for the organization.
The Lakers could certainly step in here and help the Pelicans create more opportunity for the well-regarded 2025 draft pick to see regular playing time in New Orleans. They could do that by graciously taking Murphy off their hands.
Murphy fills multiple areas of need for the Lakers
If the Pelicans are continuing to plan their future around Zion Williamson, Bailey is an interesting player to add alongside him. Murphy is far too talented to fall out of favor.
The Pelicans forward averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in 2024-25, with shooting splits of 45-36-89. Murphy is a wing that would have both Luka Doncic and LeBron James lighting up with sparks in their eyes.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old is a great floor spacer, capable wing defender, strong slasher, and so much more. The potential addition would address several areas of need for the Lakers.
What's the best part? That would be Murphy's incredibly team-friendly contract. 2025-26 would be the first season in which the rookie extension kicks in for the Pelicans star. Murphy will only be making $25 million.
A move for a dream fit like the former 2021 first-round pick would certainly involve parting with multiple key assets. The price of admission for this highly-desirable ride would not be cheap.
However, the attributes that Murphy could bring to the Lakers are too attractive to not seriously consider. Rob Pelinka has made magic happen with the Pelicans before. Why not try to do it again?