The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga has come to a close, at least for now. Giannis was the biggest name on the trade market that teams like the Golden State Warriors had aggressively pursued.
Apparently, when the Warriors came to the realization that the Antetokounmpo trade was unlikely to happen, they turned to another team in hopes of adding more firepower to their roster. While the New Orleans Pelicans are technically in their rebuilding phase, it appears they passed on an offer from Golden State.
Pelicans Believe Trey Murphy III Will be a Future All-Star
According to a recent report by NBA insider Brett Siegel, Antetokounmpo wasn’t the only player on the Warriors’ radar. It appears that Golden State had a strong interest in acquiring the $112,000,000 Pelicans player, Trey Murphy III.
Zion Williamson is technically the Pelicans’ best player, having been a two-time All-Star. However, Murphy has proven to be the more dominant player this season. Looking at his numbers, he’s averaging 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals.
While Murphy’s numbers are nowhere near Antetokounmpo’s production, he has the potential to get better as an individual, especially now that he’s only 25 years old. Golden State saw his potential and expressed interest to the Pelicans.
Unfortunately for them, the Pelicans also understand Murphy’s capabilities and don’t intend to waste what could be their next big thing. With that in mind, Siegel reported that New Orleans never budged on the Warriors’ inquiry for Murphy.
“Although the idea of going all-in on Giannis remained, Golden State began searching the market for instant-impact wings, which led them to New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III,” Siegel wrote.
“Multiple conversations were had between the two teams, yet league sources said the Pelicans never once budged on Murphy, a player they believe can become a multi-time All-Star,” Siegel added.
“With the market for wings inflated due to the lack of talent available, the Warriors did not seek to overpay in the slightest,” Siegel continued. “Along with Kuminga, a young talent the Pelicans did hold a level of interest in, the Dubs were prepared to offer an unprotected first-round pick in 2026, along with some sort of softly protected pick in 2028 for Murphy.”
Ultimately, the Warriors settled for Kristaps Porziņģis after acquiring him at the last minute from the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately for Golden State, Porziņģis is still out due to injury management. He’s currently harboring left Achilles tendinitis and won’t return until after the All-Star break.
