After one season with the Virginia men’s basketball team, Trey Murphy is officially headed to the NBA. The 6-9 guard out of Cary, North Carolina was picked No. 17 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in Thursday night’s opening round of the 2021 NBA Draft. Murphy is the first first-round player to go since De’Andre Hunter was picked No. 4 overall in 2019, and he is the eighth Cavalier drafted since 2012.
Murphy wasn’t expected to even suit up for the Cavaliers last season after transferring from Rice, but the coronavirus pandemic led to more waivers being permitted.