The best trades Warriors must offer Pelicans for Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones

The Golden State Warriors are not where they envisioned would be with over a third of the season having already gone. They are currently sitting in 9th place in the Western Conference standings with a substandard 13-15 record, and their team is looking like a shell of the one that defeated the Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round of last season’s playoffs.

All season long, an air of malaise has plagued the team. It hasn’t helped that the Warriors’ stars, such as Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, have shuttled in and out of the lineup with various injuries. But this Dubs team, even when they’ve been at full strength this season, hasn’t exactly been very impressive.

The Jonathan Kuminga situation continues to take center stage for the Warriors, as the clock is ticking on the 23-year-old forward’s stay in the Bay. Kuminga can score the rock, and there was about a two-week span earlier this campaign in which he embraced his duties as a role player. However, Kuminga has ambitions of becoming a star player, and as long as Curry is on the team, that’s not going to happen for him.

Kuminga’s best utility to the Warriors franchise is as a trade asset, and there is growing buzz that the Dubs are exploring trade scenarios that would bring either Trey Murphy or Herb Jones in from a New Orleans Pelicans team that’s been playing better basketball as of late, but is still stuck at the bottom of the West standings.

Considering the assets the Warriors have (or lack thereof), it will be close to impossible for them to get both. They will have to choose one over the other, and here are the potential packages they can put together for either of them.

Warriors go ultra-aggressive for Trey Murphy

Warriors acquire: Trey Murphy, Kevon Looney, Jordan Hawkins

Pelicans acquire: Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, 2026 GSW first-round pick (top-five protected), 2027 GSW first-round pick swap, 2028 GSW first-round pick (top-three protected), 2029 GSW first-round pick swap, 2032 GSW first-round pick

The Warriors would most certainly want to build any trade package they would put forth on the table for Murphy with Kuminga’s contract. Now, it’s not very likely for the Pelicans to be interested in keeping Kuminga for the long haul.

For starters, Kuminga is not going to be handling the ball a ton for the Pelicans — not when Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears have been deemed the future of this team. Those two are going to be the priority for the coaching staff, and having on-ball reps in the NBA this early in their careers would do a world of good for their development.

And then there’s also the matter of Zion Williamson still being on the team. Williamson needs the ball in his hands to be effective; he’s taken plenty strides in his playmaking and he’s made a career out of being a freight train towards the hoop. The spacing in lineups with Williamson and Kuminga together would be rather poor.

Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray (when he returns) will also need to command the ball. There will be many mouths to feed in New Orleans, and Kuminga will once again find himself down in the pecking order — not exactly an ideal destination for him.

But Kuminga is the Warriors’ best trade asset in terms of contract-matching, and the Pelicans, were they to trade Murphy to Golden State, will have to accept him as the centerpiece, if only to flip him later on as well.

Considering Kuminga’s substandard performances as of late (he’s also been out of the rotation in recent weeks before head coach Steve Kerr brought him back), his value around the league should not be too high. He’s all potential at this point. The Pelicans will have to extract a heavy price from the Warriors for them to turn a player who does nothing for them into a locked-on starter for the foreseeable future in Murphy.

Murphy’s fit on the Warriors’ lineup is easy to describe; he’s a knockdown shooter who can attack closeouts, and Queen’s emergence as a playmaking hub has led to even more improvement in Murphy’s off-ball movement. He’s a perfect fit on a motion-based, pace-and-space, passing reliant offense, as Murphy’s off the dribble game isn’t as advanced as the other strengths of his game.

Trading away three first-round picks as well as two pick swaps would hurt for a Warriors team that is in the last legs of the Curry era. But that is the price a team must pay to acquire a cost-controlled budding star who fits the team to a T. The New York Knicks and Orlando Magic paid top dollar for Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane, respectively; expect the Pelicans to command that kind of price for Murphy as well.

Kevon Looney will also be returning to the Warriors in this trade scenario, helping appease fans at the very least. Buddy Hield will have to go to the Big Easy in return, but the arrival of Jordan Hawkins, a young shooter in need of a career revival, could help fill the void that Hield’s departure would create.

The Warriors, not exactly known for being aggressive on the trade market, may find this cost to be too prohibitive. In that case, they may as well go after Jones instead.

Herb Jones beefs up Dubs’ defense, infuses team with energy

Warriors acquire: Herb Jones, Kevon Looney

Pelicans acquire: Jonathan Kuminga, 2026 GSW first-round pick, 2027 GSW first-round pick swap, 2028 GSW first-round pick (top-10 protected)

There is always going to be demand for a player of Jones’ skillset and caliber. That man is a lockdown defensive machine who racks up steals like it’s nobody’s business. In fact, he’s coming off an eight-steal night in which he hounded Kevin Durant all night long.

Jones’ versatility on defense makes him destined to play a large role on a contending team eventually. Contending teams are already fighting for his services, as many have called on the Pelicans and inquired of his availability in a potential trade.

It’s typically the trade market that decides just how much a player goes for in a trade. And to that end, with a team such as Los Angeles Lakers hot on Jones’ trail, the Warriors have to act fast if they want to beef up their defense with the addition of Jones.

The Pelicans have deemed Jones as a pillar of the franchise, and it’s not hard to see why. Any winning team would want anyone as defensively stout as he is. And with New Orleans looking to win especially with their 2026 first-round pick set to convey to the Atlanta Hawks, Jones is not going to be coming cheap.

The Warriors have to be prepared for this. The Pelicans will be demanding multiple first-round picks for Jones. Alex Caruso did go for just Josh Giddey, but Giddey was a highly-touted prospect who has a good statistical profile. Kuminga is nowhere near the caliber of prospect Giddey was when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him.

Moreover, Caruso was in the final year of his deal when OKC acquired him. Jones, on the other hand, is under contract until the 2028-29 season (with a player option for the 2029-30 campaign). Caruso was also 30 at the time of his trade; Jones is only 27 years of age at present.

Trading away two first-round picks as well as a pick swap to go along with Kuminga could entice the Pelicans to trade Jones away. But are the Warriors even that close to winning a title anyway that the addition of Jones, someone with a limited offensive game, would be worth that risk?

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