The Golden State Warriors have spent more than a year showing interest in Trey Murphy III, but when the season opens, another New Orleans Pelicans name may deserve just as much attention: Zion Williamson.
If Golden State is looking for a swing worth taking, Williamson might be the cleaner fit. The reason is simple enough - a deal for him likely wouldn’t require the same kind of draft-pick haul it would take to land Murphy.
Williamson is still one of the league’s most puzzling players. When he’s healthy, the production is obvious.
The problem is the availability. He has played only 276 career games across seven seasons and has yet to appear in a playoff game.
That makes him the kind of player another team could talk itself into. The Pelicans have not exactly helped turn his career into the force many expected, and a fresh start elsewhere could be appealing. For the Warriors, a team sitting in the middle of the pack, the risk might be worth it.
A potential framework could involve Draymond Green, Moses Moody and another smaller salary, with maybe just one first-round pick - if any - depending on how Williamson starts the season. Golden State could be using its projected cap space at the deadline rather than its draft stash. Williamson also has just one more year left on his deal, with $44.9 million due in 2027-28.
The basketball tradeoff would be obvious. Green to Williamson at power forward would hurt the Warriors defensively. But the offensive bump could make up for it, especially for a team that ranked 19th on that side of the ball last season and leans heavily on a 38-year-old Stephen Curry.
That is exactly the kind of bet Golden State has shown a willingness to make. The Warriors have clearly leaned toward talent over availability in their summer moves, and that same mindset could carry into the season and the deadline. They have also been careful with their future first-round picks, which is part of why they have not gone all-in for a player like Murphy or Jaylen Brown.
They took the chance on Kristaps Porzingis because it did not cost draft capital. Jimmy Butler came with some risk too, but that was softened by the fact that only one first-round pick was involved, a pick that turned into No. 20.
Williamson would fit that same pattern. He would give Golden State a chance to add a major piece without stripping away its future picks. It would still be a gamble, but it is the kind of gamble the Warriors have been willing to consider.
In Other News...
Warriors Keep Betting On A Risky Formula Fans Know Too Well
The Warriors have spent the offseason leaning into a familiar kind of roster bet, doubling down on veteran talent even when the injury history comes attached. Re-signing older pieces like Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Draymond Green and Gary Payton II fits a pattern Golden State has been willing to live with for years, trusting experience, defensive versatility and playoff familiarity over cleaner health projections.
Ben Simmons was part of that same thought process before he landed with the Sacramento Kings, and it points to how the Warriors continue to view this stage of team building. The same logic could carry into the midseason trade market, where Golden State may again be drawn to established names with baggage, keeping the door open to another high-risk, high-reward swing if the right opportunity comes along. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Still Havent Escaped The Pain Of This Infamous Celtics Trade
Long before the Warriors became a modern force, they made one of the franchises most painful draft-night decisions. In the lead-up to the 1980 NBA Draft, Golden State had a chance to reshape its future, moving off Robert Parish and another valuable pick in a deal that was supposed to bring back the kind of top-end talent a team could build around. Instead, the transaction became a cautionary tale that still hangs over the organization.
Golden State used its new selections on Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown, while the Celtics found their own answer with a player who would become one of the defining names of that era. Parish and that Celtics draft choice went on to anchor Boston for years, and the Warriors spent the next six seasons outside the playoffs. Even decades later, the trade remains one of those reminders that a draft-day swing can change the course of two franchises in opposite directions. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Missed Out On A Star Who Now Faces A Tough Fit
The offseason pursuit of Jaylen Brown had a little more reach for Golden State than it ultimately showed on the surface. The Warriors reportedly discussed a possible deal with Boston, and for a team always hunting for another high-end scorer to pair with Stephen Curry, Brown fit the profile of a player who could have changed the shape of the offense.
Instead, Brown landed in Philadelphia, where the fit may be trickier than it first appears. Coming off a career-best season, he now joins a roster already loaded with talent, which could mean a smaller offensive slice than he would have had in Golden State. For the Warriors, it leaves the familiar what-if of a star who might have been given a much larger role on the Bay Area stage. [Read more 🡒]