Pelicans Should Have No Interest in Trading Trey Murphy to the Warriors

The New Orleans Pelicans picked up their fourth win of the season on Thursday night after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 143-120. Trey Murphy III led all scorers with 24 points, as he continues his strong play in December. Since the calendar turned, the former first-round pick is averaging 26.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and five assists per game. His 26 points per game are double the production from October, when he got off to a rocky start to the season.

Murphy III has also improved greatly on the defensive end this year. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging a career-best 1.7 steals per game and is guarding multiple positions. With the Pelicans holding the second-worst record in the league at 4-22, many teams are closely monitoring New Orleans to see if they will be sellers at the trade deadline. Reports are that a few teams, like the Golden State Warriors, have their eye on Murphy III and whether they could offer a sweet enough package to lure him from New Orleans.

(Early) NBA trade talk: What I’m hearing about Giannis, Anthony Davis, the Timberwolves’ plans, all things Kings, and Jonathan Kuminga (with a Pelicans tie-in) as the key Dec. 15 date nears, at @TheAthletic https://t.co/Bii96iBG3Q
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 12, 2025

Warriors Are Reportedly Trying to Turn Jonathan Kuminga into Trey Murphy

The Athletic’s Sam Amick wrote that the Warriors would include 23-year-old Jonathan Kuminga in a possible deal for Murphy III. He writes, "For quite some time now, the Warriors have been open about their desire to acquire the Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III. 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.”

A deal to acquire the Pelicans' sharpshooter would need to include a lot more than just Kuminga for the Pelicans to be interested.

Murphy is coming off a career-high last season in points, rebounds, and assists, while also taking a major step defensively this year, turning into an elite two-way player. On the other hand, Kuminga has regressed this year, recently getting a DNP-Coach’s Decision in a recent game against the Chicago Bulls. The 23-year-old forward signed a two-year, $46.8 million contract in the offseason, but his head coach, Steve Kerr, hinted that the young forward was not guaranteed to be in the team’s long-term plans.

“I can imagine it’s not easy for him,” Kerr said. “We’ve talked about the situation. My desire for (Jonathan Kuminga) is to become the best player he can possibly be, regardless of where he ends up, whether it’s here or elsewhere.”

For New Orleans to be an “elsewhere,” the Warriors would have to tremendously sweeten the pot with probably multiple first-round picks for Murphy III’s services. Some of those picks would even need to be unprotected, as the Pelicans did when they sent their unprotected 2026 pick to the Atlanta Hawks to acquire rookie Derik Queen during the draft.

That might still not be enough, as he is blossoming into a household name and is on a very friendly contract. Murphy III signed a four-year, $112 million extension, making his deal a highly favorable one for the Pelicans.

There are rumblings that Zion Williamson’s time in New Orleans may be coming to a close, with the two-time All-Star again sidelined with injury. The Pelicans are leaning heavily on their rookies Queen and Jeremiah Fears, on the court.

If the Pelicans ultimately trade Williamson and maybe even a Jordan Poole or Dejounte Murray, they will need talent around their young rookies to build a strong core. That would most certainly include Murphy III in those plans as the Pelicans try to become contenders in this league one day.

Warriors Are Reportedly Trying to Turn Jonathan Kuminga into Trey Murphy

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