All eyes in Boston Celtics land have been keyed in on Giannis Antetokounmpo as of late. Fans and media members alike have wondered all week (and continue to wonder) if the Greek Freak will find his way to Boston, or perhaps to the Miami Heat.
The logical feeling is that if the Celtics really want Giannis then they can go get him. It’s more of a question of whether or not they want to offer the pieces necessary to get a deal done (at least that’s my read on it).
In the case that either the price is too steep or Miami outbids Boston, we now have somewhat of an idea what their “Plan B” could look like.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Celtics could pivot and target New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III.
“Then again, the Celtics’ desperation level isn’t at the level of the Heat’s,” Amick wrote. “Boston could forge ahead with the Brown-Jayson Tatum dynamic duo and look for other ways to upgrade the frontcourt. To that end, league sources say the Celtics are among the many teams with interest in the New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III (if they don’t land Antetokounmpo).”
A key tidbit that shouldn’t be ignored is that it sounds like it’d be Antetokounmpo or Murphy III, not both.
There’s been speculation that Murphy III could be a player that interests Boston in the past. Just a few weeks ago, Bill Simmons mentioned it on The Bill Simmons Podcast. He was just sifting through fake trades, though, not reporting anything concrete.
Murphy III's fit with the Celtics is obvious, the price to trade for him is not
What makes Murphy III such an interesting trade target, beyond anything to do with what he does on the court, is that he fits into the Celtics’ $27 million trade exception. This means that there are effectively infinite possibilities as to how they could get a deal done.
He’ll still come at a cost, though. The 26-year-old forward just averaged career-highs nearly across the board and is on a team-friendly contract. He’s set to earn $27 million next season, then another $30 million annually through the end of the 2028-29 season.
There’s reason to believe that the best has yet to come from Murphy III, who’s improved each season in the NBA. He’d fit well into the Joe Mazzulla-led Celtics thanks to his defensive abilities and consistency from beyond the arc, especially off the catch.
Who knows what the Pelicans are going to want for a return?
New Orleans has little to no direction, so it’s tough to say if they’d want a draft-centric offer or something that includes Derrick White (maybe even Jaylen Brown?). Murphy III has potential to be an awesome player on a contending team, but if the Celtics value Brown as much as reports this week have indicated, it’s tough to see him being involved in a hypothetical deal.
More than anything, Murphy III would be an acquisition that extends Boston’s window for contention. After Brown and Jayson Tatum, who are both creeping closer to 30 years old, there isn’t a clear cut “next up” guy. Murphy could be that.
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