Trade suggestion has Mavericks acquiring $120 million breakout star

With Cooper Flagg expected to join the fold at the no. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, could the Dallas Mavericks be looking to make another splash move? 

On the DLLS Mavericks Podcast, cohost Bobby Karilla suggested the Mavericks go all-in on New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III. This is the deal he proposed:

Mavericks receive:

- Trey Murphy III

Pelicans receive:

- Daniel Gafford

- P.J. Washington

- Two first-round picks

Murphy had a breakout season for the Pelicans, averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game on 45.4/36.1/88.9 shooting splits. At 6’8, 206 pounds, Murphy has established himself as one of the most efficient two-way wings in the NBA.

The glaring issue with the trade is Dallas’ biggest issue arguably comes in the backcourt, with point guard Kyrie Irving expected to miss most of 2025-26 with a torn ACL. Co-host Marc Stein shared his concerns with the trade for that reason.

“Do you want to basically exhaust every last premium asset this team has, but you're not addressing the backcourt?” Stein asked. 

Karilla doubled down, also pointing out that the financials of this deal could line up pretty well with Murphy starting the first year of a four-year, $120 million contract  

“In 25-26, he makes $25 million,” Karilla noted. “Conveniently, you add PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford and two first round picks together, you get pretty close to that. New Orleans might have some bad money, maybe you could add even more to get there.” 

Washington and Gafford will combine to make around $28.5 million next season, and they are both entering the final year of their contracts. 

With Cooper Flagg likely joining Washington, Gafford, Anthony Davis, Dwight Powell, and Derek Lively, the team will have a surplus of bigs to try and move.