Trey Murphy III is the latest name to be linked to the Golden State Warriors in trade discussions, with the franchise still looking to finalize their roster nearly two months since free agency officially began.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on the Warriors' interest in Murphy during a piece for The Stein Line on Friday, but many fans have viewed it as simply another unrealistic chase that's more about proving that the front office is trying to do something rather than being a practical possibility.
But if there is one glimmer of hope for Golden State fans in their team's pursuit of Murphy, it's the way in which the New Orleans Pelicans have conducted their business throughout franchise history.
Pelicans refusal to pay the tax could give Warriors hope
The Pelicans currently stand as only two teams in the league to have never paid the luxury tax, sitting alongside the lowly Charlotte Hornets. Fans and analysts have long argued that ownership's refusal to pay the tax has kept New Orleans from ever reaching true contention, with the team often making minor moves to ensure they duck under it.
That occurred again at last season's mid-season trade deadline when the Pelicans traded Daniel Theis' minimum contract to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with a second-round pick. At the same time they also traded former All-Star Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors, having been unwilling to give the 27-year-old the three-year, $120 million contract he ultimately got from his new team.
While they did move on from Ingram, the Pelicans did trade for Jordan Poole this offseason who has an extra year left on his contract as opposed to the outgoing CJ McCollum. They also gave Herb Jones a three-year, $68 million contract extension that will kick in at the start of the 2027-28 season.
Murphy is about to start his four-year, $112 million extension, meaning the Pelicans will have four players making more than $25 million next season. Those four players all have multiple years left on their contracts, suggesting there's still some juggling to do going forward if their insistence on staying out of the tax remains.
Of the four players making $25 million or more, Murphy is the only one with real value right now. Zion Williamson still needs to prove his ability to stay on the floor, Dejounte Murray is coming off a torn achilles, and Poole was only just acquired and doesn't hold significant value anyway.
Therefore if New Orleans wants to shed long-term salary and add significant draft assets in the process, moving Murphy is the key piece to making it happen. That doesn't mean they will given his stature as a rising star in the league, but the Pelicans' refusal to pay the tax does give the Warriors a small amount of optimism that shouldn't be totally ignored.