Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr have made their intentions clear this summer. Golden State wants one more difference maker next to Curry and Jimmy Butler, and for weeks that search has centered on a future Hall of Famer still wearing purple and gold.
The front office has stayed busy exploring every path to get better before camp opens, and one idea in particular has started picking up steam around the league.
Warriors’ Backup Plan Brings Trey Murphy III Into Focus
GettyTrey Murphy III of the Pelicans
Bleacher Report laid out a trade that would send Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III to Golden State.
Warriors receive:
- Trey Murphy III
Pelicans receive:
- Brandin Podziemski
- Moses Moody
- 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected)
- 2028 first-round swap
- 2029 first-round swap
- 2030 first-round swap
- 2031 first-round swap
That is a steep price for one player, even a good one. Murphy is only 26 and has averaged over 21 points a game in each of the past two seasons.
Moody is still working back from a torn patellar tendon and will not be ready to start next season. Podziemski had a solid year off the bench but never fully broke out the way Golden State hoped he would.
Giving up two future firsts and four swaps is a lot to hand over, but the Warriors have shown before they will pay up to add a real scorer around Curry.
Where the LeBron James Pursuit Stands Right Now
GettyLeBron James
Golden State’s interest in James started with a bigger idea. The Warriors wanted to trade for Anthony Davis first, hoping to reunite him with James in the same move. The Washington Wizards shut that plan down fast, making clear Davis was not available, and that took away one of Golden State’s best angles.
From there, the picture only got murkier for the Warriors. Reports out of league circles this week suggested people inside the organization now view themselves as a dark horse in the James chase, with the growing belief that he is probably ticketed for a team out East instead of the Bay Area.
Adding to that, word has come out that Golden State currently trails the Cavaliers, Heat and 76ers in the race for James at this point in the summer. That gap has not scared the Warriors off completely, but it has clearly pushed them to look harder at other ways to improve the roster.
Through it all, James has stayed mostly silent. He has not tipped his hand publicly, and that silence has left teams like the Warriors trying to plan around him instead of waiting on a decision that might not come anytime soon.
The Warriors clearly have more than one plan this summer. Whether James picks Golden State or heads elsewhere, Trey Murphy III now looks like a real option worth watching before training camp begins.
Warriors Proposed To Trade for Alternate Plan if LeBron James Pursuit Fails