Pelicans NBA Draft: Trey Murphy III is a shooter worth trading up for

The New Orleans Pelicans desperately need shooting but may be able to find some in the NBA Draft if they are willing to trade up.

The Pelicans have five picks in the NBA Draft, including the 35th, 40th, 43rd and 53rd in the second round.

The Pelicans aren’t going to have roster spots for that many rookies, so are likely to trade some of the picks or draft guys they can stash overseas.

Another option would be to try and use those picks and other assets to move into the late first round, where there are projected to be several potential impact shooters like Trey Murphy III.

New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Murphy III is a shooter to target in the NBA Draft

The Pelicans have a few glaring holes that they need to fix this offseason, including a lack of wings who can shoot.

Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball were the team’s best 3-point shooters, but Ingram prefers to work in the mid-range and Lonzo is still very inconsistent from night to night.

The Pelicans need a floor spacer who can knock them down consistently and they need more depth at wing, which is why Trey Murphy III could be a target.

Murphy is considered one of the top shooters in the NBA Draft as a guy who hit 43 percent on 4.8 attempts per game as a junior for Virginia.

I also like that Murphy is big, measuring 6-foot-9 with a seven-foot wingspan, which gives him plus size for either a shooting guard or small forward. I love the idea of pairing Lonzo Ball or Nickeil Alexander-Walker with another big guard, particularly one who can shoot like Murphy.

Murphy isn’t much of a rebounder or playmaker, but the Pelicans have those already and really just need a guy who can fill it up from 3-point range, which Murphy can.

He’s currently being mocked anywhere from the late first round to the early second, so the Pelicans should have enough ammunition with all of their future picks to move up and grab him if the opportunity presents itself.

The Pelicans need impact talent from this draft, whether they trade the 10th pick to get it or use future picks to move up and grab a talented shooter in the first round.