For years, we at TI have argued that Trey Murphy III should be viewed as a dream trade target for the OKC Thunder to attain.
With his length (6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan), floor spacing abilities (averaged 21.2 points on 36.1 percent shooting from deep last year), and elite defensive upside, there's no question that the 25-year-old would fit seamlessly into the club's two-way scheme.
Just recently, Brett Seigel of ClutchPoint revealed what he's been hearing is the New Orleans Pelicans' asking price for their coveted power forward, which, apparently, consists of multiple future first-round picks and proven, young talents heading out to the Bayou.
With the treasure trove of capital at their disposal and a boatload of championship-tested, young players residing on their roster, on paper, the Thunder could rather easily adhere to NOLA's demands in trade negotiations to acquire Murphy.
Realistically, something like Cason Wallace, Isaiah Hartenstein, and two or three first-round picks should be enough to pique the Pelicans' interest.
Unfortunately, the NBA is far from an on paper kind of league.
Foresight is crucial when making a splashy move like this, and, sadly, it's clear that while the Thunder could execute a trade for Murphy, they really shouldn't.
Thunder can easily pay Trey Murphy III trade price... but it would still hurt
Following a summer spending spree that saw them commit to more than $800 million in new, standard deals, the Thunder are currently on pace to be north of $20 million over the second apron threshold once the 2026-27 season comes around.
Now, what's important to understand is that no one expects the club to stay in this range long enough to actually pay the crippling penalties that come with entering into the dreaded second apron.
With how Sam Presti and company have negotiated contracts over the past few offseasons, only nine players have their deals guaranteed to last beyond this coming campaign.
With guys like Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell, and Kenrich Williams, for example, attached to club options, and Ousmane Dieng's deal set to expire, the Thunder are geniusly set up to not only shed significant coin from their payroll should they need to but, also, open up roster spots to then fill with cheap, rookie-scale players when utilizing their ample draft capital.
All of these luxuries are coming into play right when the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's supermax kicks in, and a year before both Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren's max deals start up.
In other words, right in the nick of time to avoid the second apron.
Adding Murphy and his four-year, $112 million price tag into the mix, however, would guarantee that more hurdles would be created for Oklahoma City to jump in their efforts to avoid the harrowing tax.
If money weren't an issue, there's little doubt that his addition to a starting lineup alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, J-Dub, and Holmgren would become not only superior to the first five that just won OKC their first NBA Championship, but easily the best in the entire league.
Unfortunately, even though the act of getting him may be reletively simple, with all the financial commitments heading their way, it would essentially be payroll suicide to acquire Murphy.
They've officially missed the point of this current era where they could have taken a swing at such a blockbuster.