It’s no secret that Jonathan Kuminga’s time with the Golden State Warriors is nearing an end. The two sides were locked in contract negotiations during the summer, and the explosive forward has fallen out of Steve Kerr’s rotation in recent weeks. However, Golden State is unlikely to sign off on a trade for Kuminga unless the return package makes sense for the front office’s long-term vision.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, one player that Golden State has been keeping its eye on is Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans. As such, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Joe Lacob could look to leverage Kuminga into a trade for Murphy, assuming the Pelicans are receptive to those trade talks.

“For quite some time now, the Warriors have been open about their desire to acquire the Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III,” Amick reported. “But if they’re going to use Kuminga to do that, then it would be helpful to know how, if at all, the Pelicans value the Warriors’ 23-year-old forward. For the time being, the feedback is mixed on that front. ’Tis the season for smokescreens, after all. Yet this part is indisputable when it comes to the Warriors’ side of the equation: These past six weeks have not been kind when it comes to Kuminga’s value. After the first six games of the season when Kuminga was receiving rave reviews, he has returned to the rollercoaster existence that embodied the vast majority of his first four seasons.”

On paper, Murphy would undoubtedly be a better fit for Golden State. His skill set and style of play fit Kerr’s brand of basketball, while his upside would allow him to slowly transition into being the team’s star player in the future. In 53 games last season, Murphy averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists, shooting 45.4% from the field and 36.1% from deep.

Nevertheless, prying Murphy away from the Pelicans won’t be an easy task, regardless of whether a package is built around Kuminga or not. Still, given how highly the Warriors value Murphy, it would make sense for them to at least test the waters on what a potential trade package would need to look like.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!