The Golden State Warriors have some big decisions ahead of them between now and the NBA trade deadline in the aftermath of Jimmy Butler's torn ACL. That brutal injury setback likely ended any realistic chance that the Warriors had of competing this season, but it doesn't mean that Golden State's front office is willing to throw in the towel and become sellers at the deadline.
Recently, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on a name that the Warriors are continuing to pursue on the market.
Siegel noted that the Warriors are “continuing to pursue Trey Murphy III from the New Orleans Pelicans, a player the Warriors have made several calls about this season, sources said. Outside of the dream scenario of landing a superstar player, Murphy has long been the Dubs' top trade target this year…”
The Warriors are seemingly willing to part with draft capital in order to bring in a win-now piece, according to recent comments made by general manager Mike Dunleavy.
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The Warriors are also dealing with the continuing turmoil surrounding Jonathan Kuminga, who recently demanded a trade from the organization but will likely see an increased role in the wake of Butler's injury. Kuminga scored 20 points in the first game since Butler's injury earlier this week against the Toronto Raptors.
However, Siegel noted that “Should Kuminga remain on the roster past the trade deadline, it will be due to Murphy's price remaining too high for Golden State.”
At this point, it doesn't seem that any of the calls that the Pelicans have fielded for Murphy III have been lucrative enough for them to budge on trading the talented wing, who is still relatively young and theoretically has room to grow.
In any case, the Warriors will next take the court on Thursday evening for a road game against the Dallas Mavericks.