If the Golden State Warriors retain any interest in Trey Murphy III, now might be the best possible time to explore a move given the New Orleans Pelicans stance on their young wing is seemingly softening.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein on Friday, the Pelicans are still holding an incredibly high price on Murphy, but are far more willing to field offers for the 25-year-old than they have been in the past.
Trey Murphy III trade update could open door for Warriors
The Warriors first reportedly expressed interest in Murphy last offseason, but Stein's latest update could ever so slightly open a door that's been all but closed over the past 12 months.
"I was told this week that the inquiries have all been of an inbound nature. League sources say that the Pelicans have not offered Murphy anywhere and that this is the first time their new front office regime headed by Joe Dumars has been truly willing to field offers for Murphy. As one team interested in Murphy put it to me this week: "They want a lot," Stein wrote.
Murphy remains a dream trade target for the Warriors, not just because of his potential on-court impact, but also because of his age and team-friendly contract that would potentially allow Golden State to acquire him while keeping injured star Jimmy Butler.
Given the trade offer would largely center around a picks-based package, it will be interesting to see how both sides would evaluate the Warriors' future picks in the wake of the NBA's draft lottery reform and the uncertainty that remains on that beyond the next five years.
Golden State may not have enough to acquire Murphy regardless, with Stein mentioning the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers as two teams to have already expressed interest in the 6'8" wing recently.
Trey Murphy III is coming off another career-best season
Murphy's points, rebounds and assists have improved in each of his first five years in the league, culminating in averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals this past season while shooting an efficient 47% from the floor and 37.9% from 3-point range.
Despite this, there's still a question mark over Murphy's ability to impact winning given his lack of big-game experience, having only been in two losing playoff series' so far in his career where he struggled to make much impact.
Regardless, Murphy presents as one of the best and most valuable trade targets this summer, and is a player the Warriors should renew discussions on based on his increased availability according to this report.
Add us as a preferred source on Google