Trade Idea: Celtics - Pelicans

[Who]

How about flip this around some and do a trade along these lines:

Brown + Hauser
for
Zion + Murray + Picks?

NOP keeps their good young player in Murphy, which makes sense they would want to do.  BOS gets Zion, a potential upside players with some risk and a vet guard who is actually pretty good.  I think NOP would include at least 1 first with this as well.

It adds about $7M to BOS salary, so limits flexibility, but results in a pretty well balanced  team:

Murray
White
Tatum
Zion
Queta

what would be the point of this?  C's send out the best player in the deal for 2 guys with injury histories and do not get back the most desired player NO has.  The draft capital doesn't come close to making up the difference no matter how many NO includes because they only have their own to trade which will only be picks in the 20's if NO has Brown and Murphy and the rest of their roster

We are just spit-balling trade ideas.  The main difference between Murray and Murphy is that Murray is a better fit positionally.  I don't buy that Murphy is a guard.  He is a forward.  A promising young forward but if you have Tatum, Zion, and Murphy, the forward position is a bit crowded.  Murray is a guard and was a pretty good one before his injury.  Guard is a better fit on a team with Tatum and Zion.

I don't think it is likely that Brown is traded (I keep saying that).  But it is still fun to test out possible trades because I think there is some possibility that Brown would like to be traded.  Zion has huge risks but some here think he is better than Brown.  There is a chance that he will be as good if not better than Brown for the next 5 seasons.  I think the chance is slim, but it is a real possibility.  If that happens, this would be a really good trade.  If Zion eats himself out of the league, this would be a really bad trade.  Those are the extremes.

You know who else is a SF that plays shooting guard? Jaylen Brown. Murphy can easily play the 2. He?s bigger and more athletic than JB.

That is a cool graphic. I knew he defended 1-4 but 5s too? Nice.

[Who]

You may know Murphy's game better than me.  He feels like a forward, but I don't know.  Jaylen is 6'-6", Murphy is 6'-8".  Jaylen can certainly play either, defend either.  I am not sure you want either handling the ball all that much, as you expect with a guard.    Murray is a guard and to me is much more suited as that combo guard role, like Holiday, different than Murphy or Brown.  And that is a need many talk about.

The team was at its recent best with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis.  I see the closest you can get to that is Murray, White, Tatum, Zion, and Queta.  Positionally, I like that better than White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Queta.  Not saying that Murphy doesn't have more value than Murray, just saying he is a better fit positionally for the team right now.

Is Trey Murphy 6-10 now? Not sure. I think he has grown since he was drafted. The best comp for Trey Murphy athletically is Mikal Bridges in NY. Trey Murphy is a taller longer version of Mikal Bridges. So Trey has the quickness and athleticism to check PGs and SGs like Bridges does, is a natural SF as Bridges is, but can check PFs as well given his superior height and length.

So a natural SF (best position) who is quick enough to play SG (2nd best position) if need be. He is a good option at PF as well. He can move in between those 3 positions well. PF would be his weakest of the 3 because he is not as physical. He more uses his quickness & length defensively than physicality. Again, like Mikal Bridges. NY uses Anunoby for physical defense on forwards. Mikal for quicker perimeter guys. Trey is more like that.

I wouldn't worry about Trey Murphy's ball-handling in this scenario because we would have Tatum & Zion at forward. Both of those guys have point-forward skills. So they are the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers to help D White. Trey Murphy would be the 4th ball-handler in that scenario and that is the right role for him - 3rd or 4th ball-handler, not primary or secondary ball-handler.

[Goldstar88]

You may know Murphy's game better than me.  He feels like a forward, but I don't know.  Jaylen is 6'-6", Murphy is 6'-8".  Jaylen can certainly play either, defend either.  I am not sure you want either handling the ball all that much, as you expect with a guard.    Murray is a guard and to me is much more suited as that combo guard role, like Holiday, different than Murphy or Brown.  And that is a need many talk about.

The team was at its recent best with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis.  I see the closest you can get to that is Murray, White, Tatum, Zion, and Queta.  Positionally, I like that better than White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Queta.  Not saying that Murphy doesn't have more value than Murray, just saying he is a better fit positionally for the team right now.

Is Trey Murphy 6-10 now? Not sure. I think he has grown since he was drafted. The best comp for Trey Murphy athletically is Mikal Bridges in NY. Trey Murphy is a taller longer version of Mikal Bridges. So Trey has the quickness and athleticism to check PGs and SGs like Bridges does, is a natural SF as Bridges is, but can check PFs as well given his superior height and length.

So a natural SF (best position) who is quick enough to play SG (2nd best position) if need be. He is a good option at PF as well. He can move in between those 3 positions well. PF would be his weakest of the 3 because he is not as physical. He more uses his quickness & length defensively than physicality. Again, like Mikal Bridges. NY uses Anunoby for physical defense on forwards. Mikal for quicker perimeter guys. Trey is more like that.

I wouldn't worry about Trey Murphy's ball-handling in this scenario because we would have Tatum & Zion at forward. Both of those guys have point-forward skills. So they are the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers to help D White. Trey Murphy would be the 4th ball-handler in that scenario and that is the right role for him - 3rd or 4th ball-handler, not primary or secondary ball-handler.

Who, would you make that trade? Zion, Murphy and picks for JB. Bring back KP for the MLE. Obviously you?d have to do load management, but is this starting 5 best in the East in terms of talent?

Starters: White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Porzingis.
Bench: Pritchard, Scheierman, Harper Jr, Hauser, Walsh, Queta, Garza

[Who]

You may know Murphy's game better than me.  He feels like a forward, but I don't know.  Jaylen is 6'-6", Murphy is 6'-8".  Jaylen can certainly play either, defend either.  I am not sure you want either handling the ball all that much, as you expect with a guard.    Murray is a guard and to me is much more suited as that combo guard role, like Holiday, different than Murphy or Brown.  And that is a need many talk about.

The team was at its recent best with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis.  I see the closest you can get to that is Murray, White, Tatum, Zion, and Queta.  Positionally, I like that better than White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Queta.  Not saying that Murphy doesn't have more value than Murray, just saying he is a better fit positionally for the team right now.

Is Trey Murphy 6-10 now? Not sure. I think he has grown since he was drafted. The best comp for Trey Murphy athletically is Mikal Bridges in NY. Trey Murphy is a taller longer version of Mikal Bridges. So Trey has the quickness and athleticism to check PGs and SGs like Bridges does, is a natural SF as Bridges is, but can check PFs as well given his superior height and length.

So a natural SF (best position) who is quick enough to play SG (2nd best position) if need be. He is a good option at PF as well. He can move in between those 3 positions well. PF would be his weakest of the 3 because he is not as physical. He more uses his quickness & length defensively than physicality. Again, like Mikal Bridges. NY uses Anunoby for physical defense on forwards. Mikal for quicker perimeter guys. Trey is more like that.

I wouldn't worry about Trey Murphy's ball-handling in this scenario because we would have Tatum & Zion at forward. Both of those guys have point-forward skills. So they are the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers to help D White. Trey Murphy would be the 4th ball-handler in that scenario and that is the right role for him - 3rd or 4th ball-handler, not primary or secondary ball-handler.

Who, would you make that trade? Zion, Murphy and picks for JB. Bring back KP for the MLE. Obviously you?d have to do load management, but is this starting 5 best in the East in terms of talent?

Starters: White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Porzingis.
Bench: Pritchard, Scheierman, Harper Jr, Hauser, Walsh, Queta, Garza

I love Trey Murphy but I do not feel good about Zion.

Jaylen & Tatum are a sure thing. They have proven what they can do together. I don't like breaking them up for less than a sure thing. Zion is not a sure thing. He has had too many injury problems and it is not clear whether he can be healthy moving forward or not.

So no. I don't do the deal.

I'd love to go after Trey Murphy by himself though. Give up 3 first round picks & the TPE. See if NOP bites on that.

[Goldstar88]

You may know Murphy's game better than me.  He feels like a forward, but I don't know.  Jaylen is 6'-6", Murphy is 6'-8".  Jaylen can certainly play either, defend either.  I am not sure you want either handling the ball all that much, as you expect with a guard.    Murray is a guard and to me is much more suited as that combo guard role, like Holiday, different than Murphy or Brown.  And that is a need many talk about.

The team was at its recent best with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis.  I see the closest you can get to that is Murray, White, Tatum, Zion, and Queta.  Positionally, I like that better than White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Queta.  Not saying that Murphy doesn't have more value than Murray, just saying he is a better fit positionally for the team right now.

Is Trey Murphy 6-10 now? Not sure. I think he has grown since he was drafted. The best comp for Trey Murphy athletically is Mikal Bridges in NY. Trey Murphy is a taller longer version of Mikal Bridges. So Trey has the quickness and athleticism to check PGs and SGs like Bridges does, is a natural SF as Bridges is, but can check PFs as well given his superior height and length.

So a natural SF (best position) who is quick enough to play SG (2nd best position) if need be. He is a good option at PF as well. He can move in between those 3 positions well. PF would be his weakest of the 3 because he is not as physical. He more uses his quickness & length defensively than physicality. Again, like Mikal Bridges. NY uses Anunoby for physical defense on forwards. Mikal for quicker perimeter guys. Trey is more like that.

I wouldn't worry about Trey Murphy's ball-handling in this scenario because we would have Tatum & Zion at forward. Both of those guys have point-forward skills. So they are the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers to help D White. Trey Murphy would be the 4th ball-handler in that scenario and that is the right role for him - 3rd or 4th ball-handler, not primary or secondary ball-handler.

Who, would you make that trade? Zion, Murphy and picks for JB. Bring back KP for the MLE. Obviously you?d have to do load management, but is this starting 5 best in the East in terms of talent?

Starters: White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Porzingis.
Bench: Pritchard, Scheierman, Harper Jr, Hauser, Walsh, Queta, Garza

I love Trey Murphy but I do not feel good about Zion.

Jaylen & Tatum are a sure thing. They have proven what they can do together. I don't like breaking them up for less than a sure thing. Zion is not a sure thing. He has had too many injury problems and it is not clear whether he can be healthy moving forward or not.

So no. I don't do the deal.

I'd love to go after Trey Murphy by himself though. Give up 3 first round picks & the TPE. See if NOP bites on that.

I get that people are concerned with Zions availability, but is it also fair to say that given his age (25) and the fact that he lost 50lbs it?s a decent gamble to make. He also played in 35 consecutive games this season, which he had never done before. Everything is a risk. Just look at what happened to JT.

Too much money is tied up with Brown and Tatum. They need more talent at other positions and a more well rounded roster which is what the two teams in the Finals have.

[SparzWizard]

You may know Murphy's game better than me.  He feels like a forward, but I don't know.  Jaylen is 6'-6", Murphy is 6'-8".  Jaylen can certainly play either, defend either.  I am not sure you want either handling the ball all that much, as you expect with a guard.    Murray is a guard and to me is much more suited as that combo guard role, like Holiday, different than Murphy or Brown.  And that is a need many talk about.

The team was at its recent best with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis.  I see the closest you can get to that is Murray, White, Tatum, Zion, and Queta.  Positionally, I like that better than White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Queta.  Not saying that Murphy doesn't have more value than Murray, just saying he is a better fit positionally for the team right now.

Is Trey Murphy 6-10 now? Not sure. I think he has grown since he was drafted. The best comp for Trey Murphy athletically is Mikal Bridges in NY. Trey Murphy is a taller longer version of Mikal Bridges. So Trey has the quickness and athleticism to check PGs and SGs like Bridges does, is a natural SF as Bridges is, but can check PFs as well given his superior height and length.

So a natural SF (best position) who is quick enough to play SG (2nd best position) if need be. He is a good option at PF as well. He can move in between those 3 positions well. PF would be his weakest of the 3 because he is not as physical. He more uses his quickness & length defensively than physicality. Again, like Mikal Bridges. NY uses Anunoby for physical defense on forwards. Mikal for quicker perimeter guys. Trey is more like that.

I wouldn't worry about Trey Murphy's ball-handling in this scenario because we would have Tatum & Zion at forward. Both of those guys have point-forward skills. So they are the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers to help D White. Trey Murphy would be the 4th ball-handler in that scenario and that is the right role for him - 3rd or 4th ball-handler, not primary or secondary ball-handler.

Who, would you make that trade? Zion, Murphy and picks for JB. Bring back KP for the MLE. Obviously you?d have to do load management, but is this starting 5 best in the East in terms of talent?

Starters: White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Porzingis.
Bench: Pritchard, Scheierman, Harper Jr, Hauser, Walsh, Queta, Garza

I love Trey Murphy but I do not feel good about Zion.

Jaylen & Tatum are a sure thing. They have proven what they can do together. I don't like breaking them up for less than a sure thing. Zion is not a sure thing. He has had too many injury problems and it is not clear whether he can be healthy moving forward or not.

So no. I don't do the deal.

I'd love to go after Trey Murphy by himself though. Give up 3 first round picks & the TPE. See if NOP bites on that.

I think Brown has proven to me enough that he can't lead a team when it really matters and he has tunnel vision dribbling the ball. Cons outweigh the pros, definitely not worth his $300M max. He's also had a knee surgery and overreliant on his athleticism. Unload his contract and bring in some new faces.

[slamtheking]

You may know Murphy's game better than me.  He feels like a forward, but I don't know.  Jaylen is 6'-6", Murphy is 6'-8".  Jaylen can certainly play either, defend either.  I am not sure you want either handling the ball all that much, as you expect with a guard.    Murray is a guard and to me is much more suited as that combo guard role, like Holiday, different than Murphy or Brown.  And that is a need many talk about.

The team was at its recent best with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis.  I see the closest you can get to that is Murray, White, Tatum, Zion, and Queta.  Positionally, I like that better than White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Queta.  Not saying that Murphy doesn't have more value than Murray, just saying he is a better fit positionally for the team right now.

Is Trey Murphy 6-10 now? Not sure. I think he has grown since he was drafted. The best comp for Trey Murphy athletically is Mikal Bridges in NY. Trey Murphy is a taller longer version of Mikal Bridges. So Trey has the quickness and athleticism to check PGs and SGs like Bridges does, is a natural SF as Bridges is, but can check PFs as well given his superior height and length.

So a natural SF (best position) who is quick enough to play SG (2nd best position) if need be. He is a good option at PF as well. He can move in between those 3 positions well. PF would be his weakest of the 3 because he is not as physical. He more uses his quickness & length defensively than physicality. Again, like Mikal Bridges. NY uses Anunoby for physical defense on forwards. Mikal for quicker perimeter guys. Trey is more like that.

I wouldn't worry about Trey Murphy's ball-handling in this scenario because we would have Tatum & Zion at forward. Both of those guys have point-forward skills. So they are the secondary and tertiary ball-handlers to help D White. Trey Murphy would be the 4th ball-handler in that scenario and that is the right role for him - 3rd or 4th ball-handler, not primary or secondary ball-handler.

Who, would you make that trade? Zion, Murphy and picks for JB. Bring back KP for the MLE. Obviously you?d have to do load management, but is this starting 5 best in the East in terms of talent?

Starters: White, Murphy, Tatum, Zion, Porzingis.
Bench: Pritchard, Scheierman, Harper Jr, Hauser, Walsh, Queta, Garza

I love Trey Murphy but I do not feel good about Zion.

Jaylen & Tatum are a sure thing. They have proven what they can do together. I don't like breaking them up for less than a sure thing. Zion is not a sure thing. He has had too many injury problems and it is not clear whether he can be healthy moving forward or not.

So no. I don't do the deal.

I'd love to go after Trey Murphy by himself though. Give up 3 first round picks & the TPE. See if NOP bites on that.

I get that people are concerned with Zions availability, but is it also fair to say that given his age (25) and the fact that he lost 50lbs it?s a decent gamble to make. He also played in 35 consecutive games this season, which he had never done before. Everything is a risk. Just look at what happened to JT.

Too much money is tied up with Brown and Tatum. They need more talent at other positions and a more well rounded roster which is what the two teams in the Finals have.

No, no it's not.  he's a huge risk to undertake -- particularly when losing your second best player that had a very viable argument to be on the All-NBA first team.  35 games in a row doesn't mean squat if you're talking durability.  JB's a lot more durable and productive as a player on the court.   if Zion had strung together a few seasons like this and just had one blip, that'd be a different discussion.

[Moranis]

JB played in 9 more games last year, but actual production while on the court, Zion produced more WS/48 .159 to .135.  That was Brown's career high and Zion was below his career avwrage.  They have the same career VORP at 14.1 but Brown has played 4 more sessons.  Zion has a better OBPM by far in their careers and they were the same lat year.  Brown hasn't had a positive DBPM since 2022 and the only ither positive was 2018. 

Zion definitely has more durability concerns, but he is also 4 years younger. But actual on court production Brown is not way more productive even comparing his career year last year to a down year from Zion. 

[A Future of Stevens]

I also think it is important to highlight...we know what Jaylen is in the playoffs. He is at worst a 2, but more like a 1b.

Zion could be ANYTHING in the playoffs. He could be the 2nd coming of Barkley, or he could be a lesser version of his regular season stats. He hasn't played any meaningful basketball since entering the NBA.

Is he someone to take a flyer on? Sure. Should you trade a franchise cornerstone for him? I don't think so.

[Vermont Green]

JB played in 9 more games last year, but actual production while on the court, Zion produced more WS/48 .159 to .135.  That was Brown's career high and Zion was below his career avwrage.  They have the same career VORP at 14.1 but Brown has played 4 more sessons.  Zion has a better OBPM by far in their careers and they were the same lat year.  Brown hasn't had a positive DBPM since 2022 and the only ither positive was 2018. 

Zion definitely has more durability concerns, but he is also 4 years younger. But actual on court production Brown is not way more productive even comparing his career year last year to a down year from Zion.

It is true that Zion played 62 games in 2025-26, albeit <30 min per, but that is only the 3rd time in his 7 seasons that he has played more than 60 games.  The other 4 seasons range from 0 to 30 games.  Assuming that this one season means that his durability risks are behind him is a huge leap of faith.  They might be, but more likely, load management will be a issue for him the rest of his career, like Porzingis.

As to demonstrated past performance/production, sorry, Brown is currently and has been better.  Sometimes reading stats is like reading horoscopes.  You can see whatever you want if you try hard enough.  Back his first couple of seasons in the league Zion was better than Brown at that time, but not right now.

The tougher question is what about over the next say 5 seasons.  It should be the prime of Zion's career for a player who for a short time was a dominant player in the league.  But the reality is that we may never see that Zion again.  This has similarities to Ja Morant (different issues but same questions).  He also was a dominant player for a time but will he be one ever again?  Maybe.  I see Zion as having a better chance than Morant but I see it as the odds are against both.

[Vermont Green]

I think Brown has proven to me enough that he can't lead a team when it really matters and he has tunnel vision dribbling the ball. Cons outweigh the pros, definitely not worth his $300M max. He's also had a knee surgery and overreliant on his athleticism. Unload his contract and bring in some new faces.

I guess you are saying yes to some version of a trade to NOP?  Sounds like you think Brown has reached his ceiling and you are not all that impressed with the ceiling, at least not at the money.  That is a fair take.  I do not think that Brown's current contract is a bad one, but his next one might be.  It could be the time to sell high on Brown.

Brown had a really good season and the league noticed.  I don't see it as unreasonable to rate Brown as a top 10 player in the league, based on last season.  He may not sustain that level of play, but he is a good player in my view and I believe in the view of the league (other teams that might trade for him).  There is some risk in paying Brown again, I concede that.  But trading him is a risk also.

[Goldstar88]

I also think it is important to highlight...we know what Jaylen is in the playoffs. He is at worst a 2, but more like a 1b.

Zion could be ANYTHING in the playoffs. He could be the 2nd coming of Barkley, or he could be a lesser version of his regular season stats. He hasn't played any meaningful basketball since entering the NBA.

Is he someone to take a flyer on? Sure. Should you trade a franchise cornerstone for him? I don't think so.

Except it isn?t a 1 for 1 trade. It would be trading for 25 year old Zion who averaged 21pts/6rebs/3ast and 25 year old Trey Murphy who averaged 22pts/6rebs/4ast. Also, Tatum is the Celtics franchise cornerstone, not Brown.

[A Future of Stevens]

I also think it is important to highlight...we know what Jaylen is in the playoffs. He is at worst a 2, but more like a 1b.

Zion could be ANYTHING in the playoffs. He could be the 2nd coming of Barkley, or he could be a lesser version of his regular season stats. He hasn't played any meaningful basketball since entering the NBA.

Is he someone to take a flyer on? Sure. Should you trade a franchise cornerstone for him? I don't think so.

Except it isn?t a 1 for 1 trade. It would be trading for 25 year old Zion who averaged 21pts/6rebs/3ast and 25 year old Trey Murphy who averaged 22pts/6rebs/4ast. Also, Tatum is the Celtics franchise cornerstone, not Brown.

I am genuinely curious, not trying to be snarky. Why did the Pelicans only win 22 games last year if Zion and Murphy were that productive? Or are they that bad at defense? I know the Pelicans view that young center as the future.

[Goldstar88]

I also think it is important to highlight...we know what Jaylen is in the playoffs. He is at worst a 2, but more like a 1b.

Zion could be ANYTHING in the playoffs. He could be the 2nd coming of Barkley, or he could be a lesser version of his regular season stats. He hasn't played any meaningful basketball since entering the NBA.

Is he someone to take a flyer on? Sure. Should you trade a franchise cornerstone for him? I don't think so.

Except it isn?t a 1 for 1 trade. It would be trading for 25 year old Zion who averaged 21pts/6rebs/3ast and 25 year old Trey Murphy who averaged 22pts/6rebs/4ast. Also, Tatum is the Celtics franchise cornerstone, not Brown.

I am genuinely curious, not trying to be snarky. Why did the Pelicans only win 22 games last year if Zion and Murphy were that productive? Or are they that bad at defense? I know the Pelicans view that young center as the future.

Well, they play in the West and had their starting point guard for only 14 games. Zion and Queen are not a good fit together. Fears, a rookie started 50 games. Queen also a rookie started 48. They don?t have a starting caliber center. Pelicans have some nice pieces, but overall it is a poorly constructed roster.

[jambr380]

I think Brown has proven to me enough that he can't lead a team when it really matters and he has tunnel vision dribbling the ball. Cons outweigh the pros, definitely not worth his $300M max. He's also had a knee surgery and overreliant on his athleticism. Unload his contract and bring in some new faces.

I guess you are saying yes to some version of a trade to NOP?  Sounds like you think Brown has reached his ceiling and you are not all that impressed with the ceiling, at least not at the money.  That is a fair take.  I do not think that Brown's current contract is a bad one, but his next one might be.  It could be the time to sell high on Brown.

Brown had a really good season and the league noticed.  I don't see it as unreasonable to rate Brown as a top 10 player in the league, based on last season.  He may not sustain that level of play, but he is a good player in my view and I believe in the view of the league (other teams that might trade for him).  There is some risk in paying Brown again, I concede that.  But trading him is a risk also.

This is where I'm at. I'm not actively trying to get rid of Brown at any cost, but I am also intrigued by what we could get for him. Now absolutely is the time to sell high. What does selling high look like right now, though? Can we get enough back to make it worth it.

In talking about a trade with NOP, I think we need to leave out the possibility of Zion even being in the deal. It was a fun idea, but I'd imagine NOP wants to add Brown to Zion. Murphy is absolutely a very good young player on a fantastic contract, but what is the plan with Murray and what picks would we be acquiring.

I know it doesn't seem like the most exciting deal - Murphy, Murray, and picks - but done right (Murray to another team for a big and the picks landing), it could propel us to another level.