The Golden State Warriors may have been caught napping and lost their chance at trading for Trey Murphy III, with numerous rivals now reportedly swarming for one of the league's most ideal trade targets this offseason.
The Warriors were one of only a couple teams who were linked to Murphy as a trade target 12 months ago, but now everybody wants the New Orleans Pelicans wing according to NBA insider Marc Stein on Sunday.
Warriors now have too much competition to land Trey Murphy III trade
Perhaps the increased league-wide interest in Murphy stems from the thought that he may be more available than ever at the Pelicans, though Stein still believes it would take a huge package to land the 25-year-old.
"Everybody wants Trey Murphy," Stein said during an episode of the All NBA Podcast. "How willing actually are the Pelicans going to be to trade Trey Murphy because his contract is so team-friendly for what he does. I would have to imagine they're going to be reluctant to do it unless they can get a Desmond Bane-type package for him."
Stein's comments come at the same time as The Ringer's Bill Simmons claimed a Murphy trade could happen in the next three weeks, with the Oklahoma City Thunder emerging as a potential suitor after their Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Having just completed the first of a four-year, $112 million contract, Murphy's incredibly valuable deal makes him obtainable for most teams around the league, at least in comparison to $40-50+ million stars where salary-matching can be difficult in today's CBA.
Warriors may no longer be willing to pull of Trey Murphy III trade
Golden State may have been ahead of the league when it came to showing interest in Murphy, but the reality is they needed to strike before this point where competition for his services now appears to be at an all-time high.
The Warriors do technically still have the assets to at least make a competitive offer, but the NBA's recent lottery reform makes it even more risky to surrender the multiple first-round picks it would require to land Murphy.
Writing in the San Fransisco Standard on Monday, Warriors insider Tim Kawakami reported that the franchise 'certainly won't be interested in the kind of multiple-pick deal that it might take to land Trey Murphy III this summer.'
Golden State missed their window to acquire a player who could have helped their short and long-term outlook, with a likelihood that a rival team could now benefit with a blockbuster move in the next month.
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