The Warriors Have Wanted Trey Murphy III for Years. The Draft Might Finally Force the Trade.

The Golden State Warriors have been circling Trey Murphy III like a shark for what feels like forever. And with the 2026 NBA Draft just days away, that interest might finally turn into something real.

We’re not talking about a new crush here. This goes back. According to a report from insider Brett Siegel, the Warriors front office checked in on Murphy’s availability at the trade deadline earlier this year and put together a serious offer: Jonathan Kuminga, an unprotected 2026 first-round pick, and some version of a protected 2028 pick. The Pelicans listened. They just didn’t bite.

Golden State eventually pivoted. They sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis, who’s currently rehabbing an Achilles injury. But that didn’t mean they forgot about Murphy.

Why Murphy Fits Golden State’s Puzzle

ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Wednesday that the Warriors have had Murphy on their radar for multiple years now. He’s 25, he’s a wing, and he fits Steve Kerr’s system in a way that not many available players do. The Warriors need to get younger, and Murphy checks that box too.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, are in an interesting spot. They gave up their original first-round pick — No. 8 overall — to the Hawks last year after using it to move up and select Derik Queen. Right now New Orleans only holds the No. 58 pick, which is basically the last slice of pizza nobody really wants. They want back into the first round.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Warriors’ No. 11 pick is one the Pelicans are genuinely interested in. Specifically, New Orleans is high on former Tennessee forward Nate Ament, and they’d need a lottery pick to get him.

“The Pelicans are known to ‘want a lot’ for Murphy, as one interested team told The Stein Line last week, but they will at least listen,” Fischer wrote. “New Orleans, at present, only holds No. 58 at the end of next Wednesday’s second round. Sources say Ament is indeed very much one of the top prospects that would interest New Orleans if it could get high enough to draft him.”

The 2026 NBA Draft tips off at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, June 23. Both the Warriors and Pelicans are teams worth watching when the first round starts rolling. If Murphy is finally on the move, that’s probably where the deal gets done.