The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is fast approaching, and with it comes the fan-favorite Three-Point Contest - a showcase of the league’s elite sharpshooters. The official lineup has been announced, and while it features several marquee names, one notable omission has caught the attention of fans and players alike: Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Trey Murphy on the 3-point contest:
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) February 10, 2026
"I would've participated if I was invited." pic.twitter.com/mrDWC47si3
Let’s be clear - Murphy’s absence isn’t just surprising, it’s puzzling when you look at the numbers. The 6-foot-9 forward is quietly putting together the best season of his young career, and his shooting stats back it up.
He’s currently knocking down 38% of his threes, good enough for 11th in the league. Among players who let it fly at least eight times a game from deep, he ranks sixth.
That’s not just respectable - that’s elite company.
And yet, when the names were called for the Three-Point Contest, Murphy’s wasn’t among them.
After the Pelicans’ dominant 120-94 win over the Kings on Monday night, Murphy was asked about the snub. True to his calm, composed demeanor, he didn’t take the bait.
“I would've participated if I was invited, for sure,” he said postgame. When pressed on whether he considered it a snub, Murphy simply smiled and said, “I’ll let you guys be the judge of that.”
That’s a classy response from a player who has every right to feel overlooked. Murphy has drilled 166 threes this season - the sixth-most in the entire league.
He’s also averaging career highs across the board: 22.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 3.3 made threes per game, all while logging nearly 36 minutes a night. That’s not just a shooter - that’s a complete player taking a leap.
Murphy isn’t one to dwell on the spotlight he didn’t get. His focus remains on the grind.
“I got the same approach every day - get better and play my game,” he said. “At some point, it’ll be recognized that I’m one of the better shooters in the league.
Until then, it is what it is. I’m going to keep working on my game, going to keep shooting the ball like I have been.
Not being in the Three-Point Contest isn’t going to ruin my day, but it is something I definitely saw and wasn’t the biggest fan of.”
That’s the kind of mindset you want from a young cornerstone - confident, motivated, and locked in on the bigger picture.
Unfortunately for Murphy, his breakout season hasn’t translated into team success. The Pelicans are struggling mightily, sitting at 15-40 - the third-worst record in the NBA, ahead of only the Pacers and the Kings. It’s a tough reality for a team that came into the season with higher expectations and a roster that, on paper, looked like it could compete for a play-in spot.
Still, Murphy’s rise is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise rough campaign for New Orleans. He’s proving that he belongs in conversations about the league’s top shooters - even if the All-Star Weekend spotlight missed him this time around.
If he keeps playing like this, it won’t miss him for long.