While some folks are ready for the Pelicans to blow it up and start from scratch, this organization has shown in the past that it doesn’t have much of a desire to toss away players as valuable as Jones and Murphy just to get a fresh start. Some would say it would do them no good to take such a drastic tanking measure, because tanking won’t benefit them this season.
If I were to guess who’s more likely to be traded between Murphy and Jones, I’d say Jones because there will be teams willing to give up at least one first-round pick to add an elite defensive player once he gets healthy. Murphy will have a much higher price tag, and how many teams will be open to giving up that kind of haul for a player who’s probably best suited as a No. 3 scoring option on a really good team?