If it wasn't already obvious that the Golden State Warriors are interested in New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. blatantly spelled it out during his press conference on Tuesday.
It was reported last week that the Warriors would be willing to give up multiple first-round picks for Murphy, and that may remain the case despite the devastating season-ending knee injury to star forward Jimmy Butler.
Warriors blatantly spell out trade interest in Trey Murphy III
Dunleavy was asked what kind of player the Warriors would need to get back in order to relinquish future picks beyond the Stephen Curry era, with the GM essentially describing a younger piece who will ensure the franchise remains competitive after the 2x MVP hits retirement.
"I think if we're talking about draft picks that will be going out when Steph isn't here, it's going to have to be a player we think we'll be getting back that is going to be here when those picks are going out. That player is going to have to be pretty impactful," Dunleavy said.
“If there’s a great player to be had, we got everything in the war chest that we’d be willing to use.”
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 21, 2026
Mike Dunleavy on what kind of player it would take for them to give up their future draft picks in a trade pic.twitter.com/YKbaN0NsE1
At 25-years-old and still under a team-friendly contract for the next three years, this perfectly describes Murphy who Golden State have been linked to ever since the offseason. Barring a Hail Mary trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Murphy might be the only player who's been in any sort of trade discussion that the Warriors would be willing to empty their stash of picks for.
Even then, there's been no indication that a deal could be imminent, with all the reporting suggesting that the Pelicans are holding tight to their rising star who is averaging 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals this season on 49.7% shooting from the floor and 38.7% from 3-point range.
In an ideal world the Warriors would trade for Murphy to add to the Stephen Curry, Butler and Draymond Green core, but perhaps the 6'8" forward can allow the team to be competitive in the short-term and then dangerous again once Butler returns next season.
Maybe the only other player that could fit this bill is Lauri Markkanen, with the 28-year-old young enough and back on the radar as a potential target after the Warriors heavily pursued a trade in the 2024 offseason.
The difference with Markkanen is that he makes over $20 million more than Murphy, meaning Golden State might have to trade Butler in the process -- something that would require even more assets going out to incentivize the Jazz to take on his $56.7 million deal for next season.
This is why Murphy likely remains the primary target outside a blockbuster Antetokounmpo trade request, though it still feels like a dream scenario that's unlikely to play out before next month's deadline.