“The Pelicans are known to “want a lot” for Murphy, as one interested team told The Stein Line last week, but they will at least listen. The Pelicans, furthermore, are also known to be very interested in acquiring a lottery pick for next week’s festivities. New Orleans, at present, only holds No. 58 at the end of next Wednesday’s second round.”<\/p>\n
The Warriors are in a tight spot. They don’t have a choice about taking a win-now approach with Steph Curry but their old and injury-prone roster wasn’t close to good enough in the crowded Western Conference last season. They need to get better and younger and don’t have a lot of assets or mechanisms to make it happen. But the Pelicans’ willingness to listen opens the door for a trade that could change everything for them.<\/p>\n
How the Warriors could land Trey Murphy III<\/p>\n
In addition the players swapped here, the Warriors would send the No. 11 pick and their 2028 first-round pick. If they need to, maybe they even throw in a third future first-rounder or a pick swap.<\/p>\n
For the Warriors, this would be a significant injection of youth, athleticism and skill. Murphy III has quietly developed into a strong two-way player with the size to defend multiple wings and forwards. He’s also a very strong shooter who is comfortable off the ball but with some burgeoning on-ball potential. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season, on 47\/38\/89 shooting splits. <\/p>\n
Missi took a step back last year after a strong rookie season, losing minutes to rookie Derik Queen. He doesn’t project to be an elite rim protector but he’s averaging 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes across the past two seasons and has the size (6-foot-11) and bouncy athleticism to be a handful on the interior at both ends. Missi’s work on the offensive glass and vertical spacing in the pick-and-roll can give Golden State a dimension they’ve really been missing the past few years.<\/p>\n
If Jimmy Butler comes back healthy, they’d enter next season with a starting five of Steph Curry, Butler, Murphy, Draymond Green and Missi. That’s a starting lineup with more offensive firepower than they featured last season and a lot more defensive upside and versatility. In addition, the Warriors would be getting 25-year-old and 21-year-old starters onto a roster that is rapidly aging out of contention. It’s a win-now move that doesn’t mortgage their future.<\/p>\n
The Curry-Butler-Green trio was very effective for the Warriors, who outscored opponents by an average of 6.2 points per 100 possessions when they were on the floor together. But even that number was dragged down by injuries \u2014 the two players who spent the most time rounding out that trio were Quentin Post and Moses Moody, making a five-man unit that was quite bad. Swap Moody and Post for an elite shooter\/complementary wing scorer and a beast-mode paint presence and the Warriors could have something special.<\/p>\n
The bench would be decimated but they’d still potentially have Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton back, if they pick up their player options. Then re-sign Pat Spencer and Post, and fill out the roster with some minimum deals. It certainly wouldn’t push them ahead of the Spurs or Thunder but it would make them a lot more competitive. Who knows, maybe LeBron joins them on one of those minimum deals?<\/p>\n
The big question here is whether the Pelicans could get a better offer \u2014 which is definitely possible. Podziemski’s ceiling is well below star level, Moody, Richards and Santos are long-term depth pieces at best and two first-rounders may not be enough. But Murphy III is a potential game-changer for the Warriors and it could be worth trying everything they can to get him on the roster.<\/p>\n
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