The end result is the same — Troy Murphy is sitting at home waiting to be traded.
But Net’s General Manager Billy King wanted to make clear that Murphy did not ask for a trade, as had been reported previously. Well, it was reported that way because that’s exactly what King said. But King now says he phrased it poorly, as he told ESPN’s Marc Stein.King says he and Murphy had reached a mutual agreement to try to find the 30-year-old Jersey native a new home -- preferably with a playoff contender -- if the Melo deal fell through and Murphy’s $12 million expiring contract was not needed to clinch the Pistons’ participation in the trade
“I probably worded it a little bit too harshly,” King said.
Stein goes on to mention Orlando, San Antonio and Dallas as potential landing spots. Another option is the Nets just buy out Murphy, making him a free agent.
The Nets will not take on any large, longer contracts back so they need to find a team that wants Murphy and has a large expiring deal they can trade him for. But by Feb. 24 (the trade deadline) Murphy will be somewhere else. Likely on a veteran team where he will get some run, not on a rebuilding team where he is banished to the bench so younger players can learn.