Nets Land Murphy In Four-Team Trade
The Nets are about to enter a four-team agreement that will get them their starting power forward – and the ancillary benefit is that he's a 15-and-10 Jersey guy.
They will announce later this afternoon that they have acquired Troy Murphy, the former Delbarton High star who has been languishing in Indiana the past 3½ seasons, according to an agent who has an interest in the five-player swap.
The nine-year pro, who can fill up a box score and shoot with astonishing accuracy from 3-point range, is precisely the stopgap four the Nets had been searching for to hold down the position until Derrick Favors is ready for it. And if that happens sooner than later, the Nets can turn Murphy (and his expiring $11.97 salary) into a trade asset around the deadline next February.
The extra plus is that the trade also creates more playing time for Terrence Williams, who has the makings of a breakout star, because the Nets will send Courtney Lee to Houston as part of the deal.
New Orleans was the catalyst to the trade, as they will send Darren Collison and James Posey to the Pacers and acquire Trevor Ariza – the shooter at the 3-spot that will allegedly keep Chris Paul happy – from the Rockets.
The Pacers, therefore are the big winners in the deal because they finally get their starting-quality point guard in Collison; and the Rockets were the only team that isn't entering the deal with much enthusiasm, but are taking part in the deal for monetary reasons.
Dave D'Alessandro/The Star-Ledger
Statement from the Nets
East Rutherford, NJ – The New Jersey Nets have obtained forward Troy Murphy from the Indiana Pacers as part of a four-team trade which also involved the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. As part of the transaction, the Rockets acquire Nets guard Courtney Lee and send Trevor Ariza to New Orleans, with Indiana acquiring Darren Collison and James Posey from the Hornets.
"We are very pleased to add Troy to our roster," said King. "He is a quality power forward who has the ability to stretch the floor, and we feel that he will be a very positive addition to our frontcourt rotation."
Murphy, 6'11"/245, is a nine-year NBA veteran with career averages of 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 29.4 minutes over 621 career games (477 starts) with Golden State and Indiana. He has shot .447 (2,707-6,054) from the field and .394 (569-1,443) from behind the arc. The Notre Dame product was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round (14th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft. Murphy has averaged a double-double in five of his nine years and had his best season in 2004-05 when he averaged 15.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in 33.9 minutes for Golden State. In 2008-09, he became the only player in NBA history to rank among the league's top five in both rebounding average (11.8) and three-point field goal percentage (.450, 161-358). Last season, Murphy appeared in 72 games, including 69 starts, posting averages of 14.6 points on 47.2 percent shooting and 10.2 rebounds in 32.6 minutes for Indiana. In addition, Murphy ranked 10th in the NBA in double-doubles with 39.
Lee, acquired by New Jersey on June 25, 2009, played in 71 games (66 starts) in one season with the Nets. During the 2009-10 campaign, Lee averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 33.5 minutes. Over the course of his two-year career with Orlando and New Jersey, Lee holds NBA averages of 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 148 games.
