Erik

Murphy

The Bulls cut Murphy as part of their preparations for the postseason, and he immediately drew interest from the Bucks and Jazz. He’s a very unlikely source of fantasy value with the Jazz, who waived Andris Biedrins to clear a roster spot for him.

Biedrins has been out with a shoulder injury and prior to that it was a sore ankle keeping him on the shelf. He’s a spectacularly bad free throw shooter, whose lack of touch seems to have destroyed his confidence, and it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll end up next.

The Cavaliers gain flexibility with the move since none of the players they’ll receive have guaranteed contracts, and this trade has all the marks of a precursor to a possible deal for Kevin Love. The Warriors appear to have fallen out of the K-Love sweepstakes due to their refusal to part with Klay Thompson, and the Cavs seem like the clear-cut favorites with only the Nuggets and Bulls explicitly rumored to be bidding for Love. As for Felix, he won’t have fantasy relevance in Utah or anywhere else.

He had one great game in summer league, but was more or less a no-show. Murphy probably wouldn’t have made the Jazz and he’ll have a tough time making any other team. His non-guaranteed contract will likely be waived at some point this offseason.

Here’s a late benching we didn’t see coming, and of course, news broke right at 7 p.m., making it nearly impossible to get him replaced in lineups. Kanter had a nice season, but it would have been a lot better had he not been stuck on the bench behind the likes of Marvin Williams. Next season should be a different story. Erik Murphy is available for the Jazz tonight.

D.J. Stephens’ 10-day contract is expiring and the Bucks won’t re-sign him, so Murphy could come aboard for the rest of the season on a temporary deal. No matter where he lands, Murphy’s role will be too limited for fantasy appeal.

Murphy played under three minutes per game in 24 appearances, and he was redundant on the roster with Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson both healthy. It sounds like Chicago may replace him with veteran swingman Ronnie Brewer as they gear up for the playoffs.

After the release, Celtics’ head coach Brad Stevens said Murphy is “intrigued plus” about joining Boston’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. He shouldn’t have been on any draft lists before this news, but fantasy owners in the deepest of leagues can officially move on from Murphy.

He doesn’t have a guaranteed contract and he had almost no chance to make the Cavs team. The Celtics also have too many contracts on their roster, so Murphy is likely just going to be a camp invite at best.

The Bulls are loaded at PF and Murphy will just be trying to make the team. However, he can shoot it, including from downtown, which will help his chances of sticking in Chicago.