Report: Asking Price for Warriors' Top 3 Trade Targets Very High

The Golden State Warriors will be trading Jonathan Kuminga soon after he's eligible on Jan. 15, and it's become clear that they are prioritizing a scoring wing for him.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported that "Golden State's main goal in trade talks involving Kuminga is to find a 3-point shooting wing who can help take pressure off Butler and Green on defense."

He mentioned Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Michael Porter Jr. as wings the Warriors could target.

The problem is the asking price for all of them is very high.

Siegel reported that Murphy or Jones would cost a minimum of two unprotected first-round picks. He then added that there's a "growing belief" both will stay put this season.

Siegel then reported this about Brooklyn's 6'10" scoring wing:

"Porter is one of the many options Golden State has discussed to this point, yet Brooklyn does not appear to have any interest in Kuminga. There are also concerns from the Warriors' end about the asking price for Porter. The Nets don't appear to be willing to simply take the best offer for the potential first-time All-Star over the next four weeks."

Making Sense of the Pelicans Report

Murphy is worth at least two first-round picks. He had 42 points against the Lakers on Tuesday, showcasing his three-level scoring ability. He's also just 25 years old and under contract through 2028-29. It would not be surprising if the Pelicans demanded at least three firsts for him considering how much the Grizzlies got for Desmond Bane and the Nets got for Mikal Bridges.

Jones, meanwhile, is not worth two first-round picks.

He's averaging 9.5 points and shooting 39.4 percent from the floor this season. He is a great defender, and he has team-friendly contract through at least 2028-29. But still, two firsts is a huge ask for a player with his offensive profile.

My guess it the Pels are more open to trading Jones than they are leading on. They are hoping they get an offer they can't refuse, but they might be willing to settle on one first-round pick for him.

Murphy is probably staying put. He's their best wing of the present and future. There's no reason to trade him.

Making Sense of the Nets Report

I get the impression that the Nets think they should trade Porter, but of course they don't want to make that obvious to his suitors.

Porter is having a monster season, but his situation is way different than Murphy's.

Murphy (25) is younger than Porter (27). Murphy has a cleaner injury record. Murphy is under contract for longer and at a cheaper annual rate. The Pelicans already have two very young building blocks on the roster (Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears), whereas the Nets have just one (Egor Demin) who I'd argue is less intriguing than New Orleans' duo, so it could take the Nets longer to get back into contention.

If Brooklyn wants to keep Porter to extend him, that would be justifiable. But that contract will likely be over $200 million. Do the Nets want to pay that?

They should trade him if they can get two unprotected first-round picks from a team like the Warriors, whose demise might come sooner than we expect.

If the Warriors are unwilling to meet that price point, I'd keep him I were in GM Sean Marks' shoes.