Trey Murphy III has long been a dream trade target for the Golden State Warriors, but any chances of a deal being completed this offseason may have been crushed after the reported demand from the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Pelicans will only put Murphy in a trade if it's part of a win-now move, rather than necessarily just taking multiple draft assets that would set them back further into a rebuild.
Pelicans' massive demand crushes Warriors' Trey Murphy III dream
This is a massive and, quite frankly, unrealistic demand for multiple reasons. Firstly, any team that trades for Murphy, like the Warriors, would want to add the young wing to help them become a contender, not as part of a deal that resets their timeline and actually gives the Pelicans a better player.
Secondly, what move is actually out there for the Pelicans to trade Murphy for a win-now upgrade given the state of their franchise and position in the Western Conference? This is a roster that will likely only improve from its underwhelming state through continued development from Murphy and younger players like Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, rather than a swing for the fences on a star that might not be good enough to catapult them up from 11th in the standings anyway.
Regardless, it essentially ends any hope of the Warriors being able to give up multiple future first-round picks in a trade for Murphy, unless it's a three-team deal where that third team gets Golden State's draft capital and gives New Orleans an even better player than Murphy.
The Pelicans would only consider trading Trey Murphy III for a package that helps them improve immediately, per @JakeLFischer
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) June 9, 2026
(h/t @APH00PS) pic.twitter.com/FBImQ0tFoY
Warriors can't deliver what the Pelicans want in a Trey Murphy III trade
Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler would have to be involved in a Murphy trade, and neither fits the bill of a player that can help the Pelicans in the short-term. Green just wouldn't help them enough at this point of his career, while Butler's torn ACL combined with his expiring contract makes him nothing but a salary-matching tool in a trade right now.
Perhaps New Orleans would change their tune if Golden State splurged out so many draft picks that it made a deal impossible to reject, but their conservative nature in recent years combined with the new lottery reform makes it incredibly difficult to see Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office making such an offer.
Murphy remains one of the most intriguing trade targets that could be on the market this summer, but it just doesn't appear like the Warriors will have what it takes to realistically deliver the Pelicans what they're after in a deal.
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