Trey Murphy Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Notes: Hartenstein, Pelicans, N. Powell, P. Williams

November 20th, 2024 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the top free agent acquisitions of the summer could make his debut for his new team as soon as Wednesday night. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has been upgraded to questionable for the first time this season.

Hartenstein appeared in three preseason games with the Thunder last month, but fractured his left hand just before the regular season began. At the time, the club said he would be reevaluated in about five-to-six weeks. That was just under five weeks ago, so if Hartenstein is activated for Wednesday’s matchup with Portland, he would beat his initial recovery timeline.

It’s worth noting that after Wednesday’s game, Oklahoma City will have four days off before beginning a four-game road trip on Monday in Sacramento, so if Hartenstein doesn’t play vs. Portland, he’ll have a few more days to gear up for his season debut. His return will be a major boon to a Thunder team that has also been missing centers Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams due to injuries and could badly use a frontcourt presence.

Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:

The Pelicans‘ injured list continues to grow. Already missing six regulars, the team has ruled out Brandon Ingram (bilateral ankle sprain) and Trey Murphy (right hamstring injury management) for the second end of a back-to-back set on Wednesday vs. Cleveland, per a team release. Rookie center Yves Missi, who has started the club’s past 10 games, is listed as questionable due to left shoulder soreness.
Clippers wing Norman Powell, who has been the team’s leading scorer so far this season with 23.3 points per game, has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando due to a left hamstring strain, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. It’s not yet known whether Powell will have to miss additional time beyond that contest.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams will miss Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, having returned to Chicago prior to the end of the team’s road trip in order to undergo imaging on his sore left foot (story via ESPN). The Bulls dubbed the testing as precautionary and it doesn’t sound like they believe there’s any real cause for concern, but it’s worth noting that Williams underwent surgery on that same foot in February.

Pelicans’ Trey Murphy Targeting Monday Season Debut

November 10th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Tristan Tucker

NOVEMBER 10: Murphy told reporters today that he expects to play on Monday, while head coach Willie Green said the team wants to ensure Murphy makes it through shootaround without any setbacks before he’s officially cleared, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

Murphy will be officially listed as questionable for Monday’s contest, but the expectation is that he’ll be upgraded tomorrow if all goes to plan, Lopez adds.

NOVEMBER 9: Pelicans wing Trey Murphy is targeting Monday against the Nets for his season debut from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since early October, NBA insider Chris B. Haynes reports (Twitter link).

We noted on Thursday that Murphy was recently upgraded from out to doubtful on the injury report, signaling that he was nearing a return.

The 3-7 Pelicans were expected to be a playoff contender this season, but they’ve dealt with a plethora of injuries in their backcourt and wing position groups. Murphy, Jordan Hawkins, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones are among the players who have faced or are currently facing multi-week absences. Zion Williamson has also missed time.

Without some of their key contributors, they’ve had to rely on their depth in the early parts of the season. Two-way waiver claim Brandon Boston Jr. has started three games, impressing and averaging 12.7 points per game on a .508/.391/.875 shooting line in the early part of the season. Jose Alvarado, Javonte Green and Jaylen Nowell have also received significant playing time.

Murphy broke out over the past two seasons after being drafted with the No. 17 overall pick in 2021. Since his rookie season, he’s averaged 14.6 points while shooting 39.4% on 6.9 three-point attempts per game in 136 appearances. He agreed to a four-year, $112MM extension before the season.

Having Murphy back should help the Pelicans take a step toward regaining their footing in the Western Conference.

Southwest Notes: Whitmore, Green, Sengun, Morant, Zion, Paul

November 7th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Rockets are assigning last year’s No. 20 overall pick Cam Whitmore to their G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen reports (Twitter link).

Whitmore played a significant role for the Rockets in the second half of last season. In total, he appeared in 47 games (two starts) as a rookie and averaged an impressive 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per contest while shooting 35.9% from three on 4.7 attempts per game.

Whitmore began this season in the rotation, averaging 7.3 PPG in 13.6 MPG across the team’s first four games. However, with the second-year forward shooting just 38.7% from the field and not making a three-pointer until his fifth game, he fell out of the rotation and received a DNP-CD on Monday, then only received late-game minutes in a 27-point blowout on Wednesday.

Rookie Reed Sheppard‘s playing time has increased a bit as Whitmore’s has decreased, so he appears to be continuing to build a role in the rotation. It’s unclear what Houston’s exact plan with Whitmore is, but the Rockets’ hope is that he’ll find his shot in the G League, like he did last year when he made 38.9% of 10.1 three-point attempts per game with the development team.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets awarded Jalen Green with a three-year, $106MM extension before the season, which came on the heels of a strong second half last season. Now, it looks as though the 2021 No. 2 overall pick is building on last season’s breakout, having averaged 22.6 points per game with a .382 3PT% through eight games this fall. With both he and 2021 classmate Alperen Sengun (No. 16 overall) having agreed to big extensions last month, Green has lofty expectations for the pair, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. “I love playing with [Sengun],” Green said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, I’ve played terrible, he’s been good the whole season — it was really me who was trying to find myself from a whole new system standpoint. The games that we won and both of us scored well, those are the games that will come when it’s playoff season. You see how [Nikola] Jokic and Jamal Murray are — I’m not saying we’re like them but they compare [Sengun] to Jokic all the time. So why can’t I be something similar to Jamal? Not saying I want to be, but someone that can get off too. It’s a two-man threat every night.“
Grizzlies star Ja Morant missed almost all of last season due to suspension and injury, but he’s back now and helping push Memphis toward being more competitive than it was last year. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes that even though the Western Conference landscape has changed since Morant was last fully healthy, he still has the utmost belief in his team. “Still confident,” the point guard said. “Two years ago passed. I don’t even know who won the championship two years ago … Two years ago don’t matter. Last year don’t matter either. So all we can focus on is now, and that’s getting our wins and handling our business. Confidence never left.“
Zion Williamson returned to action for the Pelicans on Wednesday after missing two games, then suffered another brief injury scare in the second quarter, Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. Williamson exited early in the second quarter before returning after halftime. He finished with 29 points and should be fine moving forward.
Trey Murphy is close to returning for the Pelicans after suffering a multi-week hamstring injury in October. According to Clark (Twitter link), Murphy was upgraded to doubtful for Friday’s game against the Magic. While it sounds like he’ll likely miss that game, it appears as though his return isn’t far off.
The Spurs brought in Chris Paul this offseason to serve as a veteran leader and mentor for their young players, including Victor Wembanyama. Paul spoke about his role with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina (Twitter link). “You have to show guys that you can hoop,” Paul said. “I don’t go in there and try to be nobody’s coach and nobody’s daddy. First and foremost, I hoop.“

Trade Rumors: Kuminga, Nets, Sixers, Murphy, Springer, Tucker

October 25th, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Jonathan Kuminga was believed to be seeking a maximum-salary or near-max contract ahead of Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline, which is why he and the Warriors didn’t agree to terms on a deal, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said today on the B/R App. However, Fischer believes Golden State will be comfortable paying Kuminga big money if he shows this season that his impressive stretch from January to March was no fluke and continues to take strides toward stardom.

“The Warriors will be happy to pay Jonathan Kuminga that top dollar if that sample size is stretched out over the entire course of the 2024/25 season,” Fischer said.

Still, Fischer noted that Kuminga isn’t necessarily a lock to remain with the Warriors long-term and suggested two potential suitors worth keeping an eye on for the fourth-year forward (video clip).

One is no surprise: Brooklyn is currently the only team projected to have maximum-salary cap room and Fischer says Kuminga has “come up” in past trade talks between the Nets and Warriors. The Nets aren’t necessarily specifically targeting the 22-year-old, Fischer clarifies, but their cap situation makes them a potential threat when Kuminga reaches restricted free agency, especially since general manager Sean Marks has shown a willingness in the past to sign RFAs to lucrative offer sheets.

The other team worth watching, according to Fischer, is the Sixers, who would only have a chance to acquire Kuminga on the trade market. Philadelphia has conveyed a willingness to give up draft capital to add another impact player, Fischer explains, and could use KJ Martin‘s pseudo-expiring contract as a salary-matching piece.

That sort of deal may not appeal to the Warriors, and acquiring Kuminga and then paying him in free agency would result in a massive payroll in 2025/26 and beyond for the 76ers, who already have three players on maximum-salary contracts. But Fischer suggests Philadelphia has “a lot of willingness” to go deep into luxury tax territory for the right opportunity to “cement (their) title window.”

Here are a few more trade notes and rumors from around the league:

According to Fischer, Trey Murphy was another player believed to be on the Nets‘ and Sixers‘ radars as a potential free agent and trade target, respectively, but he’s off the table after signing a four-year, $112MM extension with the Pelicans.
After identifying Celtics guard Jaden Springer as a trade candidate last week, Fischer reiterated that point in his rumor round-up on Friday, noting that moving Springer at or before the February trade deadline would create tax savings for Boston and would open up a roster spot for Lonnie Walker or another player. Fischer added that the Celtics recently called a number of teams to gauge Springer’s trade value.
The Sixers, Heat, Bucks, and Suns are among the teams that have spoken to P.J. Tucker‘s representation about a possible trade, sources tell Kelly Iko and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). As we relayed on Thursday, the Clippers have granted Tucker’s agent Andre Buck permission to talk to potential trade partners to try to find his client a new home, but the veteran forward’s $11.54MM cap hit will make it difficult to find a deal that works for L.A.

Injury Notes: Pelicans, Kings, Raptors, Adams, Collier

October 24th, 2024 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

He technically wasn’t injured, but Pelicans star Zion Williamson sat out Wednesday’s season-opening victory over Chicago due to an illness. There’s optimism Willliamson will be ready for Friday’s contest in Portland after he practiced on Thursday, according to Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links).

“Looks like he’s good to go,” head coach Willie Green said.

In a press release (Twitter link), the Pelicans also provided injury updates on Trey Murphy (right hamstring strain) and Dejounte Murray, who fractured his left hand last night.

The team said Murray is out indefinitely, with further updates to come when appropriate, while Murphy has made good progress in his recovery and will begin conditioning work. Murphy, who signed a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension earlier this week, will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Kevin Huerter (shoulder surgery) and Trey Lyles (left groin strain) missed the entire preseason for the Kings, but both veterans were full practice participants on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be active for Thursday’s season opener vs. Minnesota, writes James Ham of The Kings Beat. Neither player will be on a minutes restriction, according to head coach Mike Brown, who confirmed Huerter will start at shooting guard.
Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley sustained a pelvic contusion in Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland and did not practice on Thursday, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Both Quickley and RJ Barrett (shoulder) are doubtful for Friday’s contest vs. Philadelphia, while Kelly Olynyk (back), Ja’Kobe Walter (shoulder) and Bruce Brown (knee) remain out (Twitter link via Lewenberg).
Rockets center Steven Adams, who missed all of last season with a right knee injury, was initially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte due to knee injury recovery and a left calf strain and wound up sitting out. Head coach Ime Udoka referred to Adams as “day-to-day, game-to-game” on Thursday afternoon, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier (right hamstring strain) has been cleared for on-court work, but he’ll miss at least 10 more days, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced (Twitter link via Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). The former USC guard was the No. 29 overall pick of June’s draft.

Contract Details: Gordon, Moody, Suggs, Green, Sengun, Murphy, More

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

The three-year veteran extension that Aaron Gordon signed with the Nuggets is worth $103,608,840 in total base salary, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. As expected, Gordon is getting the maximum 40% raise on his 2025/26 salary ($22,841,455), with 8% annual raises after that.

Gordon’s is also getting the maximum 40% bump (and 8% subsequent increases) on his $1.2MM in incentives for the ’25/26 season, so they’ll increase to $1.68MM in the first year of the extension and will be worth $5,443,200 in total across the three years of the deal. That means that if the Nuggets forward earns all his bonuses, he could make up to $109,052,040 over those three seasons.

The trade kicker on Gordon’s extension is for just 3%, which represents the lowest percentage of any active trade kicker around the NBA.

Here are more details on some of the contracts recently signed by players across the league:

Moses Moody‘s three-year extension with the Warriors actually has a total base value of $37.5MM, rather than the $39MM initially reported. The deal includes $1.5MM in incentives that could push the total value up to $39MM.
Jalen Suggs‘ five-year, $150MM extension with the Magic starts at $35MM in 2025/26 and has a descending structure. By the fifth year, in 2029/30, Suggs’ cap hit will be just $26.7MM.
The exact value of Jalen Green‘s three-year extension with the Rockets is $105,333,333. It starts at $33,333,333, with matching $36MM cap hits in years two and three (the third year is a player option).
Alperen Sengun‘s five-year, $185MM extension with the Rockets has an ascending structure, though it doesn’t increase by the maximum allowable 8% per year. It begins at $33,944,954 in 2025/26 and eventually gets as high as $39,036,697 in years four and five. The fifth year is a player option.
Trey Murphy‘s four-year, $112MM extension with the Pelicans begins at $25MM and increases by $2MM annually, getting up to $31MM by year four.
The new standard contract Alex Reese signed with the Thunder is a straightforward one-year, minimum-salary deal that is fully non-guaranteed. I’d be a little surprised if Reese lasts the whole season on that contract, but if he does, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
Alondes Williams‘ two-way contract with the Pistons is for two years. While it’s pretty rare for a player to play out a full two-year, two-way contract, Detroit could technically keep Williams on his current deal all the way through the end of the 2025/26 season.

Western Notes: Huerter, Murphy, Braun, Strawther, Jokic

October 22nd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings guard Kevin Huerter went through a full practice, including a scrimmage, on Tuesday. Huerter was cleared for full contact earlier this month after undergoing left shoulder surgery during the spring. It appears he’ll jump right back into a starting role.

“He looks good. Doesn’t look like he missed a beat at all. If he plays (in Thursday’s regular season opener), he’ll probably start,” head coach Mike Brown said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).

We have more from the Western Conference:

Now that the Pelicans have locked in Trey Murphy to a rookie scale extension, it’s time to see what he can do as a full-time starter, Will Guillory of The Athletic opines. Guillory believes Murphy could play at an All-Star level and make New Orleans a prime contender but needs an expanded role to show if he can develop into that type of player. Murphy signed a four-year extension worth $112MM on Monday.
While Christian Braun is generally considered the likely successor to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the Nuggets’ starting shooting guard, coach Michael Malone continues to insist that Julian Strawther is still in the running for that spot, Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports tweets.
The Nuggets open their season on Thursday and center Nikola Jokic says the team needs to ramp it up after what he feels was a poor preseason, he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “I think we didn’t play the preseason how we’re supposed to be playing,” Jokic said. “The defense was not where it’s supposed to be. We couldn’t make shots. So we played really bad and poorly the whole preseason. So hopefully we can do something a little bit better when the (regular) season comes.”

Pelicans, Trey Murphy Complete Four-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

5:03pm: Murphy has officially signed his contract, the Pelicans announced (via Twitter).

11:05am: The Pelicans have reached an agreement with Trey Murphy on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $112MM, agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The deal, which will begin in 2025/26 and will keep Murphy out of restricted free agency next summer, won’t include a player option, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. It also doesn’t feature any incentives, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Murphy has emerged as an integral part of the Pelicans’ rotation. In 57 games last season, he set new career highs in points (14.8), rebounds (4.9), and assists (2.2) while knocking down 38.0% of 7.8 three-point attempts per game. The 24-year-old is quickly becoming one of the NBA’s most dangerous outside shooters, with a career rate of 39.2% from beyond the arc.

Murphy’s extension isn’t far off from the five-year, $135MM deal that Devin Vassell signed with the Spurs last October. Vassell’s contract features one extra year and a slightly lower average annual value ($27MM per year, compared to $28MM for Murphy).

Murphy is the sixth player to agree to a rookie scale extension in 2024, joining Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner, and Moses Moody. The deadline for those deals is now just a few hours away.

Signing Murphy to a rookie scale extension ensures that the Pelicans now have four of their core players – Murphy, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and Herbert Jones – locked up through at least 2027.

One notable exception is Brandon Ingram, who is entering the final year of a five-year, maximum-salary contract. As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), after accounting for Murphy’s extension, New Orleans projects to be about $31MM below the tax line in 2025/26, so a new deal for Ingram would almost certainly push the club beyond that threshold. That will be an important factor to consider for a Pelicans team that has never been a taxpayer.

Murphy is expected to miss some time at the start of this season, according to Charania. The Pelicans announced 18 days ago that Murphy has a right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in three weeks.

Jalen Johnson Not Trending Toward Extension?

October 20th, 2024 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Johnson and the Hawks are not yet trending toward a rookie scale contract extension, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post.

Johnson is one of a handful of prominent players from the 2021 draft who has not signed an extension. In a Front Office column earlier this month, our Luke Adams ranked Johnson No. 1 among a group of nine players who are legitimate candidates for a rookie scale extension.

Another source informed Stein that Johnson has stood out during the Hawks’ training camp and the preseason. Johnson, the No. 20 pick in 2021, averaged 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in his breakout 2023/24 campaign while appearing in 56 games (52 starts).

Rookie scale extensions must be reached by Monday at 6 p.m. ET. Otherwise, those players will be restricted free agents next summer.

Here’s more from Stein:

As he reported over the weekend, Quentin Grimes is a prime candidate for an extension, according to Stein, who says the Mavericks and Grimes, who was acquired from the Pistons during the offseason, are discussing a three-year deal.
Trey Murphy III and the Pelicans are also in active extension negotiations ahead of Monday’s deadline, league sources tell Stein. Murphy will miss the early portion of this season with a hamstring injury but has been highly productive when healthy. The five-year, $135MM extension signed in October 2023 by San Antonio’s Devin Vassell is a potential comparable for Murphy, Stein notes.
Reiterating a tweet from Saturday, Stein says the Magic’ Jalen Suggs is seeking a deal with an average annual value of at least $30MM.

Southwest Notes: Popovich, Lawson, Murphy, Morant, Jackson Jr.

October 14th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has put his players, particularly the less experienced ones, on notice. The longtime coach will be much less forgiving of mistakes this season, he told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

“I think if anything it’s a little less tolerance,” he said. “We have been since the beginning (of training camp) … a little bit more disciplined in the sense of accountability, knowing that mistakes happen too often – (telling players) ‘You need to understand that by now.'”

Tre Jones believes it’s natural for Popovich to take that approach as expectations rise.

“A lot of us didn’t have a lot of those experiences we went through the last couple of years,” Jones said, “but now that we’ve had them and now that we’ve brought in guys that are helping us learn those things as well, you can’t make those same mistakes over and over again. There’s no room for that, if we want to win.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

A.J. Lawson said he’s benefited significantly in Mavericks training camp, working alongside stars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, he told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda.com. “Every day you learn something new with these guys,” Lawson said. “They’re great at what they do—Kyrie is one of the best ball-handlers, Luka is one of the best players, and Klay is one of the best shooters. Having these guys on the same team is a lot to learn from. I can take shooting techniques from Klay, ball-handling and decision-making from Kai, and learn how to run the floor with Luka. There’s so much opportunity as a wing player like me, and I’m excited for this season.” Lawson signed a two-way contract with Dallas over the weekend shortly after he was waived by the club from his standard deal.
It has been another rough preseason for the Pelicans’ Trey Murphy. He was sidelined at the beginning of last season with a left knee injury. Now, he’s dealing with a right hamstring strain that will keep him out of action at the start of this season. “Very tough,” Murphy told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “Not starting the season again hurts me a lot. Doing everything I can summer-wise to be prepared for a season and having that happen really sucks. But just looking at it with perspective, it could be a lot worse. Good thing it’s an NBA season. I’ll be there for the majority of it.” Murphy will be a restricted free agent next summer unless he signs a rookie scale extension by Oct. 21.
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are being held out of the rest of the preseason due to minor ailments. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins wants his stars to make the best of training camp in other ways. “I actually talked to both of those guys about being fully invested in all the practice reps and using their voices,” Jenkins said, per Michael Wallace of GrindCityMedia.com. “I want them to get mental reps, whether it’s through film sessions or their teammates’ film feedback that they’re getting. They’ve been ever present, so we’re going to make the most of the situation over the next week-plus. And thankfully, they’re going to be ready for opening night.”