The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are both viewed as buyers in the trade market, but it appears neither will be able to acquire their targets from the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers and Warriors are among the teams linked to Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III, and NBA insider Chris Haynes reports they’re among the players the Pelicans have made it clear they won’t be parting with.
“New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen, and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.”
The Pelicans don’t really have an incentive to tank, as they don’t have their 2026 first-round pick. Unless a team puts a very lucrative trade offer on the table, there is no real need to part with the likes of Jones and Murphy. It’s not as if the market for them will dry up in the summer.
Jones is a defensive specialist whom the Lakers and Warriors were reportedly actively looking for ways to acquire. The asking price was said to be two first-round picks, though, and Los Angeles only had one that they could trade.
There was still some hope that the Lakers might be able to pull off a trade for Jones, who is averaging 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26, but the Pelicans have now shut the door.
The 23-12 Lakers will have to look elsewhere to address their defensive issues. We had listed some options for them if Jones, an All-Defensive First Team selection in 2024, proved to be beyond reach.
As for Murphy, The Athletic’s Sam Amick had reported that the Warriors have been open about their desire to acquire him. They have had some struggles on the offensive end, and a scoring wing like him certainly would help.
Murphy is averaging 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26. The 25-year-old has shown that the scoring leap he took last season was very much real.
If Murphy is off the table, then a center might be all the 20-18 Warriors get in before the deadline. Haynes had previously reported that they were looking to acquire an athletic big.
While Jones and Murphy will have plenty of suitors in the summer, that might not be the case when it comes to Zion Williamson. Williamson has shown over the years that you cannot rely on him to stay upright. He has missed 16 games this season as well after featuring in just 129 over the last three campaigns.
It’d be a risk to acquire Williamson, but the Chicago Bulls are a team that has been linked to him. The Bulls are said to be viewing him as a buy-low trade option. Williamson, who is averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, doesn’t seem to be going anywhere for now, though.
As for the two rookies, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, the Pelicans were not expected to part with them. They are very much the future of the franchise. The Pelicans just gave up their 2026 first-round pick for Queen, so he was never getting shipped out of town.
