Character. Basketball IQ. Shooting. Defensive versatility.
The New Orleans Pelicans will be spending this 2021 NBA offseason seeking a combination of those traits in players they add to their roster. They believe they got a fast start to that process Thursday, acquiring a pair of accomplished college players during the league’s annual draft.
As part of a reported, larger trade to be finalized later, the Pelicans agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to No. 17 pick Trey Murphy III from Memphis. The Durham, N.C., native played a total of three college seasons, capping his career by playing 2020-21 at the University of Virginia, after transferring from Rice.