The Golden State Warriors have jumped out to a 4-3 start to the 2025-26 season. There's already been some lessons along the way in these first two weeks of the season, but it's clear that this team could still use an additional shot creator. Following the New Orleans Pelicans' 0-6 start to the year, it's clear that Trey Murphy would be an ideal trade candidate.
Of course, when you're a front office, you know which players around the league you value and which you don't, regardless of whether those guys are considered available by the teams they're employed by. But when a player like Murphy, who's undoubtedly coveted by multiple teams around the league, has his team begin the season with such a flat start, it's a bit more obvious that team might be more open to potential changes.
That's the first part of why it would make sense for Golden State to go after Trey. The other part, of course, being the on-court fit. Murphy is a 6-foot-8 wing with tons of length, defensive ability, and shot making ability from all over the floor. He is exactly the kind of piece that a contending team like the Warriors are going to covet.
The Warriors would benefit massively from adding Trey Murphy
This Warriors team added quite a bit more veteran shot making ability last season when they acquired Jimmy Butler. That got them a proven three-and-D guy who they know they can trust in a playoff setting and can get his own offense off the dribble. But with as deep as the West is right now, they could still stand have one more guy of that ilk on their roster.
Golden State still believes that their championship window is open. What they need in order to get one more deep run out of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Butler is high impact wings who they can trust to defend multiple positions and space the floor while complementing their main core. Murphy checks all of those boxes.
Steve Kerr would be able to leverage Murphy's length defensively in switch-heavy schemes while giving them another guy who can create space offensively and force defenses to collapse. It's really a perfect fit between the lines, and up until now his availability in a trade was probably the biggest question. If the Pelicans are open to discussing some type of deal, this would be a no-brainer.