The Golden State Warriors' dream of trading for Trey Murphy III may be closer than ever before after another major update on the New Orleans Pelicans wing on Wednesday night.
After being mentioned by ESPN's Anthony Slater in a major report earlier in the day, NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line has also linked Murphy to the Warriors in a deal that could include the 11th overall pick at next week's NBA Draft.
Pelicans draft interest gives Warriors major Trey Murphy III boost
Fischer has reiterated the Pelicans desire to get into the first-round of this year's draft, while pinpointing Nate Ament as a prospect they're interested in should they obtain a pick high enough.
Golden State's 11th pick could have real interest to New Orleans in such a scenario, giving the franchise an opportunity to pull off a Murphy dream that might be years in the making.
"Golden State's selection has proven to be a spot on the board that various rival teams have begun to pinpoint as a potential trade opportunity … partly because New Orleans is no longer hanging up on teams calling to inquire about two-way wing Trey Murphy III and the Warriors' longstanding interest in Murphy has been well-chronicled," Fischer reported.
The report that rival teams are also looking at the Warriors' selection only adds to the intrigue surrounding the situation, with the franchise holding workouts with a range of prospects heading into next week's proceedings in Brooklyn.
Is there a possibility that the Warriors give up the 11th pick as part of a Murphy deal, but trade back into a later first-round selection? Could they trade the 11th pick to another team for a pair of later first-round picks, then use one of those and future assets in a Murphy trade?
Warriors seemingly have options heading into next week's draft
The good news for Golden State is that the 11th pick does seem to hold immense value, and that there will subsequently be multiple trade opportunities on the table, both to move down in the order and/or acquire veteran talent in a win-now move.
General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. stated on Wednesday that he's confident the Warriors will come out of this draft with a player, but he's really not going to say anything different considering it would only worsen his leverage in trade conversations.
The ideal outcome might be to acquire Murphy in a huge move that would benefit the short and long term, while also keeping the 11th pick or at least having a later selection in the first-round. Is that even possible? Only time will tell.
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