The Philadelphia 76ers, like the rest of the league, are starting to get closer to the trade season, which unofficially begins in less than week when trade restrictions for nearly all players signed this summer get lifted. Soon enough, the front office will be able to start striking conversations with other teams on potential trades.
Just recently, there was a rumor coming from NBA insider Jake Fischer that the Pelicans have been listening to trade offers for Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, two of the most highly sought-after players in the league who also profile as being perfect fits for the 76ers. Unfortunately, that seems to have come to a quick impasse.
According to Pelicans insider Shamit Dua, New Orleans has not had conversations with teams involving Murphy, Jones, or even Zion Williamson. That basically impeaches Fischer’s claim, which in turn rids the trade market of two candidates who would have commanded a lot of interest from teams in playoff contention.
The 76ers can say goodbye to the idea of trading for Trey Murphy and/or Herb Jones
Murphy and Jones are two players who are the easiest to envision fitting right into the 76ers’ collective dynamic, although the same could be said for any other team out there. That is makes them such ighly desirable commodities, so them not being available for taking is definitely a shame.
Murphy, a rangy forward who can hit from anywhere, is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league on high volume. At 6’8”, he has great size for his position, and with the 76ers badly needing forwards, he would have been perfect.
Ditto for Jones who, while not being of the same ilk as Murphy, has much mroe acuity on the less glamorous end of the floor. He is a terrific defender who can guard multiple positions, and his offensive game is not shabby either.
The 76ers, still in dire need of help at the forward positions with Paul George still being iffy and Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford out due to their respective injuries, could have gone after them hard.
Instead, the front office will now have to scour the market for other forward who could help them out on both ends and make the roster a bit more balanced. Of course, there is still a lot of time before the deadline, so hopefully, the 76ers can make the right moves that can elevate their ceiling.