New Orleans Pelicans Reject Jaylen Brown Trade Offer

The New Orleans Pelicans had the chance to land Jaylen Brown but turned down the trade offer. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that a deal would have been done if the Pelicans had any interest in Brown.

The Pelicans chose to keep Trey Murphy rather than taking the chance on the former NBA Finals MVP. Considering Philadelphia sent a bad contract and two draft picks, New Orleans may have been able to trade Murphy and one draft pick for Brown.

What happened?

The Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for a lackluster trade package. The Pelicans had a great chance to land him with Murphy being the main asset.

The Pelicans ultimately didn’t want Brown and decided to let their offseason play out with other teams calling for Murphy. The goal appears to be to get assets for the future via young prospects and draft picks.

Why it matters for New Orleans Pelicans

The Brown trade could have improved their chances for success next season by pairing Jaylen Brown with Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray. However, management reportedly wants up to three first-round picks in a trade for Murphy to prioritize that over an established star like Brown and giving up future picks themselves.

What comes next?

New Orleans is reportedly still shopping Murphy for deals and hopes to cash in on his value as other names get traded and removed off the board. Both losing teams needing young talent to improve and good teams one piece away from NBA Championship contention can talk themselves into trading for Murphy to get them to the next level.

The Pelicans must figure out which teams are willing to offer a lot of draft picks and/or a foundation piece from their roster. Murphy is their last strong trade chip since the other names they could trade have more red flags.

Recent form: 1W-0D-4L (LLLLW, most recent first); lost the last 4. The Pelicans will look to bounce back from their recent losses and make a strong push for the playoffs next season.