NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have exercised options for recent first-round draft choices Kira Lewis Jr. and Trey Murphy III.
The club announced Thursday that it picked up a fourth-year option for Lewis, a point guard drafted 13th overall out of Alabama in 2020, and a third-year option for Murphy, a small forward drafted 17th overall out of Virginia in 2021.
Lewis hasn’t played since last Dec. 8 because of a major knee injury. He is expected to come back this season. He has appeared in 78 games as a reserve for New Orleans, averaging 6.2 points and 2.2 assists in 16.0 minutes per game.
Murphy has appeared in 66 games with two starts, averaging 6.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game. He has shot 42% overall and 41% from from 3-point range.
Late last season, Murphy saw a surge in minutes and production. And in four games this season, he has averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Because of Brandon Ingram’s recent concussion, Murphy started New Orleans’ game on Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 22 points in a victory over Dallas.
The Pelicans play on Friday night at Phoenix.
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