the CBA title. Murphy later recalled of the situation, "To play in the NBA was my lifetime dream and I couldn't have passed it up. But we were right in the middle of the playoffs and I wanted to win the championship so badly... So I stayed." He received tryout camp invitations from both the Warriors and Boston Celtics in the 1988 offseason, but was not offered a regular-season contract by either team. Murphy spent the 1988–89 season playing in Spain for BBV Collado Villalba. He played in all 36 games for the team, averaging 18.6 points and 9.5 rebounds in 37.1 minutes per game. Breakout years with Minnesota Timberwolves (1989–92) During the summer of 1989, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were one of two new expansion teams for the 1989–90 NBA season invited Murphy to a free agent camp and a rookie camp in June and July respectively. On August 16, 1989, Murphy signed a one-year contract with the team. Murphy said that he considered his opportunity with the Timberwolves "one more chance" to launch his NBA career, adding, "If it doesn't work out this time, I'll make a career overseas." The Timberwolves began their season with only five victories in their first 26 games, leading Timberwolves head coach Bill Musselman to make some rotation changes, which included inserting Murphy into the starting lineup. Murphy played the rest of the season as a regular starter, setting a then-team record on January 2 with 20 rebounds in a game against the Clippers. On March 17, Murphy set a career-high by scoring 24 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, a game the Timberwolves narrowly lost (101–99). Despite some minor injuries (leading the Los Angeles Times Mike Penner to call him "Minnesota's man of 10,000 aches"), Murphy played in all 82 games of the Timberwolves' inaugural season. Move to Houston, injury (1992–93) After being waived by Minnesota, Murphy joined the Houston Rockets for an offseason workout and signed with the team before the 1992–93 season began. However, early in his tenure with the team, he suffered a recurring hamstring injury, forcing him to miss most of the season. Murphy eventually recovered for the final two months of the season but never played a game for the Rockets as the team did not want to lose their chemistry. He earned $500,000 from his contract with Houston. Return to CBA, brief stints with Detroit, Golden