After getting an update just a couple of days ago on the New Orleans Pelicans front office's plans for Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones entering the trade deadline, fans now get more clarity on what a deal for either player would look like. NBA insider for ClutchPoints, Brett Siegel, reported that the asking price for both Jones and Murphy III starts at two unprotected first-round picks.
The minimum asking price for Herb Jones & Trey Murphy III is reportedly 2 unprotected FRP’s.
per @BrettSiegelNBA pic.twitter.com/pGl39fjBos
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) January 6, 2026
Fans should be happy to hear this report, as it shows this won't become another Brandon Ingram situation, where the Pelicans sell low on a very talented wing player. Obviously, Ingram's situation is a little different, as he was injured and had an expiring contract. Nonetheless, fans can rest easier knowing that Troy Weaver and Joe Dumars have a good evaluation of just how valuable Jones and Murphy III are.
A tale of two opposites
With the Pelicans being 8-30 to start this season and owning no first-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft, the idea of listening to offers for both Murphy III and Jones is the right one. I still believe the front office should remain cautious when it comes to parting ways with Murphy III, especially after performances like Tuesday night. In that loss to the Lakers, he continued to prove why he is one of the league's most slept-on scorers, notching a new career-high 42 points and outscoring Luka and LeBron.
While Murphy III continues to soar —making it harder for decision-makers to even consider moving him—Herb Jones is doing the opposite.
After seeing his season end last year after just 20 games, expectations were high for Jones coming into this season. It was just two years ago that he finished in the top five in the Defensive Player of the Year voting while shooting a 40 percent clip from three. But the production from Jones this season has been far from what we saw from him such a short time ago.
This season, Jones is averaging 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 stocks (steals + blocks) per game while shooting sub 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. So if the Pelicans can flip a player posting these numbers into two first-round picks just based on reputation alone, it seems like a no-brainer.
It's also important to note that Jones hasn't looked as elite a defender as he once did, at least from my point of view. This isn't something I think is his fault, as with the number of injuries he's had and the time he's spent in and out of the lineup, it's probably been hard for him to get into a flow. But whether that's true or not, it still doesn't bode well for the Pelicans in trade talks. If New Orleans can land two unprotected firsts for Jones at this point, they should seriously consider pulling the trigger.