The New Orleans Pelicans made the unsurprising decision to fire head coach Willie Green on Saturday just over 24 hours out from their meeting with the Golden State Warriors at Smoothie King Center.
While it will be interesting to see how the Pelicans respond against the Warriors on Sunday, it might be more fascinating to see how the decision impacts the franchise's trade plans and specifically in regard to big names like Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III.
Warriors may have to dump two biggest talents to acquire Trey Murphy III
Golden State reportedly had interest in Murphy during the offseason, but that was a time where New Orleans clearly had no interest in parting ways with their young wing. Perhaps that may change given the state of flux the franchise now finds themselves in, but it might take the Warriors dumping their two most talented young players to make it happen.
Much has been made of just how well Jonathan Kuminga's new contract aligns with Murphy's for a potential mid-season trade, particularly if Golden State are willing to throw in a raft of draft capital and if New Orleans also decide to move on Williamson.
However, Kuminga's $22.5 million salary still falls short of the $25 million Murphy is making. As a team over the first apron, the Warriors can't take back more salary and would therefore need to include another player.
In such a scenario, the Pelicans may require Brandin Podziemski in the deal as well. That would make the trade work from a financial perspective, but Golden State may also need to relinquish one or two picks on top of giving up their two most talented young players.
Would that be worth it from a Warrior perspective? Based on recent form it would, not just because of the production of those players individually, but perhaps even more so given the sheer workload and virtuoso performances that Stephen Curry had to deliver for Golden State to get back-to-back wins in San Antonio.
Having another player capable of creating his own shot and going for mammoth scoring outbursts could be crucial in the Warriors preserving their veteran players, something that Murphy has proven capable of with 35-point and 41-point performances in two of his last four games.
There's no guarantee that the Pelicans even make Murphy available, but if they do then the Warriors best be prepared to offer their two most valuable young assets as part of a blockbuster package for the 25-year-old.