Warriors next trade target is crystal clear after Jonathan Kuminga signing

Jonathan Kuminga officially returned to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, signing a two-year, $48.5 million contract (second year team option) after months of stalled free agency negotiations.

But while many were simply relieved that the entire Kuminga free agency saga is now over, others were quick to look forward to what's next and the high likelihood that the young forward will be traded mid-season once he becomes eligible on January 15.

Trey Murphy III is the obvious next trade target for the Warriors

The name Trey Murphy III is already on the lips of Warrior fans in the wake of Kuminga's contract, and for good reason given his theoretical fit at the franchise as an athletic, sharpshooting 6'8" forward who would appear to complement the veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

Prior to the Kuminga signing, Golden State didn't really have the means of matching Murphy's four-year, $112 million contract without giving up either Draymond Green or multiple key rotation players including Moses Moody and Buddy Hield.

This is what made avoiding the $7.9 million qualifying offer so important for the Warriors in Kuminga negotiations, having now got themselves a significant salary slot to go and upgrade the roster at the mid-season deadline if the former seventh overall pick continues to be an awkward fit.

Kuminga's salary for next season will fall just short of the $25 million Murphy is set to make. While Golden State will not be able to take back more money in a trade as a team over the first apron, they now have a fairly clean avenue (from a salary-matching perspective) to flip the forwards if they can entice New Orleans with the required draft capital.

Murphy isn't some pipe dream whose name simply comes up among fans though, with NBA insider Jake Fischer reporting multiple times this offseason that the Warriors have strong trade interest in the Pelicans wing.

Fischer reiterated that just two weeks ago on his Bleacher Report live stream, stating that "Murphy is someone the Warriors really have interest in. Someone they almost took in that 2021 NBA Draft at No. 14 overall when they were deciding between Murphy and Moses Moody."

While Moody is still on the roster and could be a key rotation piece this season, that's just clearly one of multiple draft blunders Golden State made over the 2020-21 period. They could look to rewrite that mid-season, albeit now using their seventh overall pick from that draft rather than the 14th.

Convincing the Pelicans to part ways with Murphy is still going to be a tough task and easier said than done, with it likely relying on things to go bad in New Orleans for it to be at all possible. Murphy averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in a breakout year last season, shooting 45.4% from the floor and 36.1% from 3-point range on over eight attempts per game.