NBA trade proposal sends Trey Murphy III to Rockets, Clint Capela back to Hawks

The Rockets land Trey Murphy III. The Hawks bring back Clint Capela. The Pelicans begin rebuilding around Jabari Smith Jr. and a stack of draft assets.

That is the premise of a hypothetical three-team trade constructed by Jackson Caudell of Atlanta Hawks On SI. To be clear, this is Caudell’s proposal. It is not a reported trade being discussed by the three teams. Anyway, the framework:

• Hawks receive: Clint Capela and a 2033 second-round pick from New Orleans.
• Rockets receive: Trey Murphy III, Buddy Hield and Mouhamed Gueye.
• Pelicans receive: Jabari Smith Jr., a 2027 first-round pick via Phoenix, a 2028 first-round swap and a 2029 first-round pick via Phoenix.

Atlanta’s end is the least glamorous but perhaps the most practical. The Hawks need to clear a roster spot and could use another established center behind Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale.

Capela averaged only 3.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 12.3 minutes last season, so this would not be a reunion built on nostalgia. It would be about adding veteran insurance, reducing salary and turning two roster spots into one.

Houston would make the aggressive play. Murphy is a high-level shooter and defender who fits both its win-now plans and younger timeline. The price, however, would be substantial: Smith, two first-round picks, a swap and Capela.

New Orleans would have to decide that moving Murphy is the beginning of a larger reset. There has been no indication that the Pelicans are prepared to do that, which is the proposal’s biggest obstacle.

The trade works best for Atlanta, solves a significant need for Houston and gives New Orleans a legitimate rebuilding package.

It also requires the Pelicans to surrender their best young wing. That is where a fun proposal runs into a much harder reality.