The Cleveland Cavaliers should trade Darius Garland to the New Orleans Pelicans for Trey Murphy III to balance their roster and improve their title chances moving forward. Garland’s injury throws a wrench into the plan, but the general construct of a deal remains: Swapping out a guard for a potentially elite wing. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com discussed the idea in a recent article.
Murphy enjoyed a breakout season in New Orleans last year. He only appeared in 53 games but played 35.0 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the three-point line.
The Cavs are talented enough to win as currently constructed, but having an elite wing instead of two elite guards could be a worthwhile change to consider.
Why does Trey Murphy III make sense for the Cavs?
At just 24 years old, Murphy still has plenty of room to grow as a star in the NBA. He’s an elite scorer and, perhaps most importantly for the Cavs and their current lineup construction, an elite three-point shooter.
Though he didn’t shoot particularly well from behind the three-point line last season (36.1%), he took 8.3 threes per game. However, with all the injuries the Pelicans dealt with, 2.9 of his attempts per game were either self-created or pull-ups.
On the 5.4 catch-and-shoot threes he took per game, Murphy shot 40.0%, which would give the Cavs a massive boost on the offensive end.
Murphy is also a plus defender. At 6-foot-8 with a long wingspan, he’s capable of guarding some of the better wings and forwards in the league.
Adding him to the lineup would give Cleveland a core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Murphy, which would put them one point guard (or one wing, if they want Mitchell to act as the point guard) away from an elite starting group.
Why should the Cavs consider trading Darius Garland?
Garland is an incredible player. He’s an NBA All-Star and one of the shiftiest shot-creators in the league today. But with the way the Cavs’ lineup is currently constructed, he’s not a perfect fit.
Both he and Mitchell always give their all on defense, but with two small guards in the lineup, things can get difficult. There are also some natural points where the ball has to flip-flop hands based on which one of them is creating.
Obviously, it worked out well for Cleveland this season. They were the best team in the East all year. But balancing the roster a bit better and taking a chance on a seemingly All-Star-level talent in Murphy could be worth the risk.