Pistons Urged to Make Trade With Pelicans for $112 Million Forward

Pistons Urged to Make Trade With Pelicans for $112 Million Forward originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

It has been an interesting offseason thus far for the Detroit Pistons as they have made multiple addition to their roster but have also lost some key players from last season.

Of course, Detroit is coming off a historic season that saw them go from being the worst team in the NBA the prior two seasons to making the playoffs.

They then entered the offseason looking to upgrade their roster around Cade Cunnigham to make a run in the Eastern Conference again next season.

So far, the Pistons have added Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson but they have also lost Tim Hardaway Jr, Dennis Schroder and likely Malik Beasley.

Detroit could still make more moves this summer to better their odds for next season and FanSided’s Aaron Kellerstrass recently urged the Pistons to make a trade for New Orleans Pelicans star forward Trey Murphy III.

“The Pistons would love to have a young power forward who is an elite shooter to go with Cade Cunningham and do have some advantages if he ends up on the market before the trade deadline,” Kellerstrass saif about Murphy III. “The first is the many relationships between the two teams. Langdon was recently GM of the Pels, Weaver of the Pistons, and we all know Dumars’ connections to Detroit.  The Pistons also have something no other team has, which is a bunch of players Weaver drafted and loves. Troy Weaver is famous for sticking with “his guys” and the Pistons have several of them.”

Kellerstrass makes a great point about the ties between the front offices of both the Pistons and Pelicans and how Detroit could be a major factor if New Orleans decides to trade Murphy III.

Of course, Murphy III has been one of New Orleans’ most reliable players over the past few seasons and he has blossomed into a star for them.

Because of this, it would take a massive trade package for the Pistons to acquire him but they do have enough assets to pull of a trade.

While that may be the case, Detroit could hold off on trading for Murphy III, though he would be a solid addition to their lineup.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.