Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Bucks' most glaring position of need just so happens to be arguably the most crucial position in basketball right now — the small forward. Although the trade deadline steal of impending restricted free agent Ousmane Dieng was a bright spot in a rough season for Milwaukee, there's still a massive gap in their rotation on the wing.
Aside from Dieng, the only other true small forward on the team is Taurean Prince, who was having a strong season for the Bucks before a serious neck injury sidelined him for most of the year. While Dieng is an exciting young player, his presence alone won't be enough to fill the gap for Milwaukee.
That's what makes the potential availability of New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III so appealing for the Bucks. A 25-year-old listed at 6-foot-8, 206 lbs, Murphy has grown into one of the most efficient volume scorers in basketball with elite range for a player of his size and the requisite athleticism to make his presence felt in the paint and on defense.
He set career-highs across the board at 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 66 appearances for New Orleans this year, and set a new single-game career-high with 44 points, including a Pelicans record 12 made 3s on the road in Milwaukee late in the season.
The 17th overall pick in 2021, Murphy has been a developmental success story for a franchise that hasn't been able to capitalize on his growth. After spending much of the year at the bottom of the West, the Pelicans made a late-season push only to finish as the 11th seed in the conference. Because his team hasn't been able to find success, Murphy has been trapped outside the league's awards race with no NBA accolades to his name despite being well-liked throughout the basketball world.
It doesn't seem like the Pelicans have a clear path forward, so many believe Murphy is one of the top players on the trade market this summer. Basketball media guru Bill Simmons added fuel to the fire on a recent podcast episode when he told Zach Lowe that "we assume he’s probably going to get traded over the next three weeks."
If Murphy is truly made available in trade talks this season, the Milwaukee Bucks may have a pathway to acquire a running mate for Giannis Antetokounmpo to get back into title contention.
Trey Murphy III has all the traits the Milwaukee Bucks need in a starting small forward right now.
Originally pegged as a 3-and-D forward, there's much more to Murphy's game than meets the eye. He's a considerable ball-handler for his size who made an impressive 74.2% of his attempts in the paint this past season. He's an excellent 3-point shooter with the ability to create shots off screens or knock down a catch-and-shoot jumper, nailing a whopping 49.2% of his corner 3s and 36.6% on a high volume of above-the-break triples as well.
Murphy signed a four-year, $112 million rookie contract extension in October 2024, which seemed like a hefty price tag at the time until the new C.B.A. kicked in and actually turned his contract into a steal. He's owed $87 million over the next three years, putting him safely in the same range as someone like Bucks center Myles Turner as far as cap allocations over the next few years.
There are few players better suited to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo than Murphy, whose rapport with a rim-running power forward in Zion Williamson has expertly trained him to play off-ball from the Greek Freak. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to be a threat, but if you give him the ball and ask him to make something happen, he's usually capable of finding a shot for himself.
Murphy will be 26 by the time next season starts, making him an excellent bridge player between the veterans and young core that GM Jon Horst has built on the fly for the Milwaukee Bucks.
As far as the price? That's where things could get interesting. Kyle Kuzma's expiring salary and the 10th pick would absolutely be worth the conversation for both parties, though New Orleans is likely going to play hardball considering Murphy is possibly their best tradable asset this summer, depending on how you feel about Zion.
If Giannis is willing to commit, we could see the Bucks draft someone at No. 10 and ship two future firsts to New Orleans for Murphy's services. If they have interest in the aforementioned Turner, he could also change the outlook of a deal between these two teams.
Trading for Murphy probably doesn't make as much sense if you're trading Giannis, but he would still be an exciting young talent for Bucks fans to embrace as their team transitions into a post-Giannis era this offseason.
Either way, Trey Murphy III has to be on the Bucks' radar if he's truly being shopped this summer.
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