The Milwaukee Bucks have had a good offseason, but trading for a legitimate small forward could make it into a great one. Bucks fans have been dreaming of Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III for the past month or so, and while he initially may have seemed out of their reach, there is a slim chance he's still attainable, though it certainly will not come cheap for any interested party.
On the latest episode of The Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie had this to say about Murphy.
"Talked to a few teams that called about Trey, and the price is like astronomical. They understand what they have. I won't say any details, but the price tag is very high."
Bucks should find out just how much astronomical is
New Orleans isn't giving Murphy up for nothing, but how much might they want? Is it somewhere in the same realm as the Mikal Bridges to New York trade, which netted Brooklyn five first rounders? If so, then no, the Milwaukee Bucks do not have a chance. Murphy doesn't quite have that type of stature yet, but he's getting awfully close.
The Milwaukee Bucks would have to center their offer around their 2031 first round pick, which is one of the most valuable across the entire league. Teams are salivating over that pick due to the thought of Giannis Antetokounmpo either leaving before then or simply aging, which could lead to a high pick down the road. The question is whether or not that is enough to get New Orleans' attention.
Murphy could be the ultimate missing piece for a team whose only true small forwards at the time of this writing are Taurean Prince and Chris Livingston. The forward, who averaged 21.2 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 36.1 percent from deep on 8.3 attempts per game last season, would be the perfect piece to complement Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of this young, athletic roster.
At 25, he's the type of player who could grow further with the franchise while also being a perfect fit to help them win now, aligning perfectly with the new vision for this recently retooled group.
If the Milwaukee Bucks are not done making moves, which appears to be the case as they sort out the future of Andre Jackson Jr., getting another small forward in the building should be the goal. Murphy would be a swing for the fences target, with Milwaukee pushing their most desirable asset to the center of the table, but it could certainly be worth it for a contender.
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