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Klutch controls both sides of the Murray-to-Phoenix trade talk, collapsing deal time but raising questions about spacing fit and draft cost.
$120 million
extension with New Orleans last summer
13-29
and sitting fourteenth in the Western Conference
6.5 assists
per game on
20-20
and sixth in the West
Dejounte Murray has requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, and Klutch Sports—which represents both Murray and several Phoenix roster pieces—is positioning itself as the deal's primary architect.
Murray signed a four-year, $120 million extension with New Orleans last summer. The Pelicans acquired him from Atlanta in a June 2024 trade that cost them Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, and two future first-round picks. New Orleans is 13-29 and sitting fourteenth in the Western Conference. Murray is averaging 16.8 points and 6.5 assists per game on 42.7% shooting. The fit alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram has not worked. Murray's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, now controls the routing.
Phoenix's interest is structural, not romantic. The Suns need a primary ball-handler who can defend and operate pick-and-roll when Bradley Beal sits. Murray checks both. Klutch represents Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in Phoenix, which smooths internal politics and gives Paul direct access to ownership conversations. The Suns are 20-20 and sixth in the West, which makes them buyers but not desperate. They have $171 million in committed salary for next season with Booker, Durant, and Beal locked in. Murray's $28.9 million owed next year fits the Suns' timeline if they move Beal or absorb Murray into a Jusuf Nurkić trade package.
The complication is Phoenix's draft capital. The Suns owe their 2025 first-rounder to Brooklyn, unprotected. Their 2026 and 2027 picks are swap-eligible with Utah and Cleveland under prior deals. New Orleans will not take back Nurkić and two second-rounders. A third team is required. Klutch's value here is Rolodex depth: Paul represents players on twelve NBA rosters, which gives him clean sight lines into which front offices are willing to facilitate. The most likely structure involves Phoenix routing Nurkić and a future first to a rebuilding team, that team sending expiring contracts and a pick to New Orleans, and Murray landing in Phoenix. The Suns have until the February 6 trade deadline.
Agency-brokered trades are not new, but Klutch's market share makes the dynamic different. Paul negotiated Anthony Davis to the Lakers, LeBron James to Los Angeles, and Darius Garland's extension in Cleveland—all situations where Klutch represented multiple stakeholders and collapsed negotiation time. The NBA fined the Lakers $500,000 in 2019 for tampering comments about Davis, but no ownership group has complained about Paul's facilitation since. The incentive alignment is obvious: Paul earns 3-4% of Murray's contract annually, and a contending Phoenix team increases Booker's and Durant's legacy value, which feeds future representation pitches.
The risk for Phoenix is fit redundancy. Murray is a mid-range creator who needs the ball. Booker and Beal already occupy that usage. Murray's three-point percentage has declined every season since 2021, from 34.5% to 32.1% this year. If Phoenix moves Beal instead of Nurkić, the defense improves but the shooting gets worse. If they keep Beal, Murray becomes the highest-paid secondary playmaker in the league. The Suns fired Frank Vogel last spring for similar spacing issues.
New Orleans will want to clear Murray's salary and recoup draft value before Ingram's $36 million player option decision in June. Phoenix will want confirmation that Klutch can deliver a third team before they engage seriously. The parallel negotiation is already underway.
Watch whether Phoenix attends New Orleans' January 26 game in Phoenix. Watch which assistant coaches Paul sits near. The trade framework exists. The question is which front office Paul calls third.
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