Following the massive blockbuster that happened Wednesday night, seeing Jaylen Brown be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, Pelicans fans have the right to be mad. For a while, New Orleans was linked to Brown, and while the buzz did die down, given the price point Boston traded him for, the Pelicans missed horribly not getting a deal done for JB. However, Boston trading for Brown is only going to skyrocket Trey Murphy III's value, particularly in the Eastern Conference.Â
In the early stages of the offseason, it was known that Boston had interest in Murphy III, but they likely lacked the draft capital to get a deal done until now. According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Manix, the Brown trade gives Brad Stevens the type of draft capital to go out and pursue a deal with Joe Dumars for Murphy III.
Boston was able to acquire the rights to the Los Angeles Clippers pick in 2028, which could in a post-Kawhi Leonard era, could find its way into the top-10 or -5 of that 2028 draft. They also landed the 76ers' first-rounder in 2031.
The East is only getting tougher, and teams are going to get desperate
The structure of a deal with the Celtics would likely look like cap relief in the form of a $27.7 million trade player exception, maybe one of their young pieces, and 3-4 first-round picks. While a package like that doesn’t give the Pelicans an immediate replacement for arguably their best player, it gives the front office the tools to shift into a youth movement.
That said, Boston isn’t the only suitor for Murphy III expected to emerge following the Brown trade.Â
Prior to landing JB, most people would put the 76ers in the mid-tier of the Eastern Conference, in the 6-9 range out East, given Joel Embiid's injury history. But now you throw a player who finished top-10 in MVP last season into the mix, with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and now Dean Wade, and Labaron Philon, they look like a real contender. On top of this new 76ers team, the Raptors also brought in Kawhi Leonard, so now there are two new teams with the means to win the East.
The Knicks aren’t getting worse, and with the Pistons still not making a splash, they look like they could be destined for a decline after a 60+ win season in 2025-26. They were once heavily linked to Murphy III, as his shooting and off-ball scoring fit perfectly alongside Cade Cunningham. So, with the East now becoming a tougher, stronger conference, it would be shocking to see them get a little desperate and make a play for Murphy III. We could even see Detroit make Ausar Thompson available in talks with New Orleans.
The immediate reaction to the Jaylen Brown trade was that this was a massive missed opportunity for Joe Dumars and the Pelicans. But now, it seems like it created a massive domino effect that has opened the door for New Orleans to really cash in their golden Trey Murphy III ticket very soon.
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