Trey Murphy III hosted the LA Lakers and teased them with a good glimpse of what they could have if they traded for him. In the midst of his career year, Murphy dropped 42 points on LeBron James‘ team, almost taking the game away from the Purple & Gold. Although the Lakers came out with a win, James couldn’t help but be impressed with the Pelicans wing.

The Lakers closed the opening quarter with a four-point lead. However, New Orleans outscored them by 11 points in the next 24 minutes behind Murphy’s 34 points in 30 minutes. Before the game went to the final quarter of regulation, he torched visitors with 20 points in the third quarter alone. Although LA handed the Pelicans their 30th loss of the season, Murphy’s spectacular night didn’t go unnoticed.

In the post-game interview with Mike Trudell, LeBron had high praise for Murphy.

“Hell of a player,” the four-time NBA champion said.

Murphy and the Pelicans are having diametrically opposite 2025-26 seasons. While his team sits at the bottom in the West, Murphy has just been adding to his career-year numbers.

With an 8-30 record, the Pelicans have the worst record in the Western Conference. To add to their nightmare, the Hawks own their 2026 first-round pick, which could make things interesting.

They have been reluctant to trade either Murphy. If there were still teams looking to pull a trade for him, his price must have gone very high after the Lakers game. Despite his stock getting more and more beyond the Lakers’ reach, the Purple & Gold should still consider trading for him.

James’ approval of Murphy coincided with the Laker fans reigniting the Trey Murphy trade scenario for Los Angeles. Murphy and Herb Jones are among the consistent names being linked to the Lakers, leading a fan to make a bold prediction.

Laker fans heat up trade buzz after Trey Murphy III’s 42-point outing

Murphy could substantially add to the Lakers’ depth on both ends. He is an elite scorer and could be a second or third scoring option on a great team. He is also shooting over 38 percent from the 3-point line, which is above league average.

Murphy’s addition could add to an already elite Lakers’ offense, and he could also add length to the roster. A Laker fan was convinced of the Lakers trading for Murphy.

“demon a Laker soon omg.”

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LA has considerably good pieces to trade for Murphy. A fan wanted the Lakers to trade Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero and a 2nd round pick for the Pelicans’ young player.

“Him and Jones for Knecht Rui and Adou plus 2ndRP.”

Trey Murphy III has one of the biggest trade pieces for the teams before the February 5 deadline. A 40-point game in the midst of trade discussions, he could quickly become a missing piece on a title-contending team.

“He tryna play his trade value up so he can go to a contender😭.”

The Lakers have a list of great names who have come to Los Angeles to play with the Purple & Gold. However, irrespective of how big they have been, a lot of them have failed to keep the same momentum in the Lakers uniform.

On the other hand, the Lakers have also infuriated their fans after missing big players in trade, notably Myles Turner, Walker Kessler, and Kyrie Irving, a few years ago. A fan didn’t shy away from taking a jab at the Lakers.

“Showcasing his talents all for the Lakers to not trade for him.”

Putting on a Lakers jersey is a big deal, and as it should be. Despite a championship drought for half a decade, Los Angeles remains one of the top destinations for players, if not the top.

Fans predicted that Murphy would be more than willing to call himself a Laker.

“He’s expected to be a Laker for just one draft pick bro.”

The Lakers own first-round picks in 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2031. They could add a few names to the list and add two first-round picks to bring Murphy to LA.

Murphy could fit perfectly alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which gives the Lakers another scoring option and a great defender.

“This is the guy Lakers should be targeting and worth 2 FRP.”

Murphy’s addition could prove to be significant on the defensive end. He could immediately add to the Lakers’ defense, which has been their Achilles heel for their season.

He could add length and considerably deepen LA’s wing defense. The Pelicans need first-round picks, and the Lakers have a bunch of them in the next few years.

They could also offer players like Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, or Jarred Vanderbilt to match the deal. With their season not going anywhere, the Pelicans are scouring for a few good draft picks.