New Orleans, La. – The New Orleans Pelicans have been announced that the team officially signed forward Trey Murphy III. The deal terms were not disclosed per team policy, but the Pelicans will sign Murphy into a rookie contract.
Murphy III was the 17th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9, 206-pound forward played for two college teams, the Rice University Owls in Houston, Tex. before transferring to Virginia Cavaliers in his final college year.
The Pelicans acquired Murphy from the Memphis Grizzlies on August 7 as a part of a three-team trade involving the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Murphy appeared in 61 games, 25 of them starts in his first two collegiate seasons at Rice University. He averaged 10.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game for the Owls.
Murphy appeared in 25 games, 20 of them starts for the University of Virginia last season. The 21-year old player averaged 11.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.3 percent of his three-pointers. from the three-point range.
In New Orleans, Murphy will be partnering with young superstar and former first overall pick Zion Williamson in the Pelicans' backcourt. His three-point ability could supplant both Williamson and veteran player Brandon Ingram during the late stage of the game.
Murphy III will also l join new recruits such as bigmen Jonas Valančiūnas, Tomáš Satoranský, and Louisiana native Garrett Temple to strengthen the Pelicans in 2021. These players will be the core of New Orleans, which finished with 31 wins and 41 losses and failed to progress to the NBA Playoffs.
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