Dallas Mavericks Must Target Trey Murphy III Based On Latest Trade Rumors

James PierceyJune 18, 2026 8:15 AM

DHJ Quick Take: Should the Mavericks Trade the No. 9 Pick for Trey Murphy III?

With the New Orleans Pelicans now willing to field offers on Trey Murphy III, the Dallas Mavericks could turn the No. 9 pick and future first-rounders into an elite shooting wing to pair with Cooper Flagg.

Why does Trey Murphy III fit the Mavericks? He is a high-volume, accurate shooter and a solid defender who covers Cooper Flagg’s biggest weakness, his three-point shooting.
What would a deal cost Dallas? Likely the No. 9 pick plus future first-round capital, such as the Lakers’ 2029 unprotected pick and Dallas’s own 2031 first.
Why would the Mavericks consider it? They have little long-term draft flexibility anyway and are unlikely to find a player as good as Murphy with those picks.
Are the Pelicans actually moving him? New Orleans is fielding offers for the first time, but it has set a very high asking price.

When it comes to NBA trade rumors, sometimes, you have to try to read tea leaves. Lately, those tea leaves keep circling back to a Trey Murphy III trade, and the Dallas Mavericks have the draft capital to make one.

You make deductions. A rumor about one team can have indirect consequences for another. If Team X is interested in acquiring a lottery pick, and Team Y has one, there could be a deal to be done.

The Mavericks have a lottery pick. They’re scheduled to select at the 9th overall spot in the 2026 NBA Draft. The latest rumors suggest that the New Orleans Pelicans want a lottery pick. Perhaps the Mavericks could spare theirs:

If the Pelicans were to part with Murphy.

Trey Murphy III Would Bring Elite Shooting

During the offseason, every team in the league needs to take stock of its situation.

Let’s talk about the Mavericks. They have Cooper Flagg. That alone gives them a leg up on the competition. He’s an undeniable franchise player.

That’s great, but the team’s ability to build around Flagg is limited. The Mavericks owe much of their future draft capital to other teams. So, if they can land a young star who fits with Flagg, they should leap at the opportunity.

It just so happens that Murphy would be perfect.

The only shortcoming in Flagg’s game is his three-point shooting. He has room to improve, but the 29.5% he hit as a rookie indicates that he’s unlikely to become a knockdown shooter.

That’s Murphy’s department. He hit 37.9% of his 8.6 threes per game in 2025-26. That combination of volume and accuracy is exceedingly rare to find in any player, let alone a wing.

Murphy is also a solid defender. He and Flagg could be one of the most potent wing duos in the NBA for years to come. He’d be a perfect acquisition:

But can the Mavericks really land him?

Dallas Mavericks Should Spare No Expense for Trey Murphy III

It’s hard to call.

The 9th overall pick won’t land Murphy on its own. It will take more than that.

For some fans, that’s where it gets murky. If the Mavericks spare much more draft capital, they’ll have nothing left. Counterpoint:

Isn’t the point of draft capital to secure a contending core?

The Mavs aren’t likely to find a better player than Murphy with any of those picks. They also shouldn’t feel compelled to preserve flexibility when they have so little to begin with. The Mavericks are already in for a penny, so they might as well go in for a pound.

The Pelicans might consider the 9th overall pick, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and the Mavericks’ own 2031 first-round pick. If they would, the Mavericks shouldn’t hesitate. Pairing Flagg and Murphy should put them in the title conversation within a couple of years.

You don’t need to be psychic to know that’s something they’d want.