As NBA free agency winds down, the Golden State Warriors remain in a holding pattern. They have yet to sign any free agents as they await the outcome of the Jonathan Kuminga saga.
Kuminga is a restricted free agent, and the two sides have yet to agree on a resolution to what is turning into an embarrassingly long contract negotiation. That has put the Warriors’ summer on hold, with them putting off signing veteran big man Al Horford while they work on bringing back Kuminga.
Nevertheless, an intriguing rumor has emerged courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. Fischer reports that the Warriors have been in contact with the New Orleans Pelicans about three-and-D wing Trey Murphy III.
Murphy’s one of the best defensive players in the NBA and a valuable offensive player with an expanding skill set. Acquiring him will cost a pretty penny, but there is a possibility of the Warriors building a package around Kuminga in a sign-and-trade in addition to adding picks.
Whether the Pelicans would agree to that deal is unclear, but it is an interesting wrinkle to what has been a lackluster summer for the Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors must go all in on Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III
The ideal scenario would be for Golden State to convince the Pelicans to do a sign-and-trade involving Kuminga and two first-round picks for Murphy III. From the Warriors’ perspective, that would be huge since it would turn a negative into a positive.
They clearly don’t want Kuminga long-term and have been trying to get him to sign an affordable two-year deal that would make it easier to trade down the line. Meanwhile, Kuminga appears to favor taking the $7.9 million qualifying offer. That would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent after next season and give him a no-trade clause.
That could mean that the Warriors lose him for nothing. But a potential sign-and-trade with New Orleans would be the best possible option for them and maybe even Kuminga.
All in all, the Warriors’ rumored interest in Murphy III gives them a potential option to resolve the ongoing Kuminga drama. If they can somehow convince the Pelicans to do a sign-and-trade for Kuminga and two first-round picks, then the Warriors would have dramatically improved their roster. That would be in addition to salvaging what is turning into a bad situation for them to be in.
