Ranking Warriors' Top Trade Targets After 2026 NBA Play-In Loss
The Golden State Warriors are entering the NBA offseason much earlier than they'd like.
The decisions they make over the following few months could determine whether they'll meet a similar fate next season or not.
They'll only get so many more cracks at this with Stephen Curry (next season is the last left on his contract), and they have to upgrade the roster around him. They're weighing "large-scale moves," per ESPN's Anthony Slater, and have enough trade chips to try targeting big-ticket stars.
3. Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
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The Warriors, like virtually every win-now shopper, would love to add Murphy's shotmaking, length and support scoring on the wing. They just need the Pelicans to set a realistic asking price.
So far, that isn't happening. Back in January, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that New Orleans might need "a Desmond Bane-type offer" to consider moving Murphy. For those with fuzzy memories, Bane's trade cost to the Orlando Magic last summer included four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round pick swap.
Demanding that type of compensation is the same as saying Murphy is effectively untouchable. But before the Warriors accept that as fact, they should make a couple more phone calls and test whether he might be gettable at a more reasonable price.
If they could afford him, they'd get great mileage out of him. They have a standing need for spacing and a pressing need for athleticism on the wing, and he'd check both boxes as well as anyone on the trade market.
2. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
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While the Warriors could try to catch a player on the ascending side of their career arc, their situation might work best with an established star. Someone who wouldn't get stage fright under the bright lights attached to this bunch, and someone who could have a voice and command respect inside this vet-heavy locker room.
Someone like Leonard, who has won championships (once over Golden State) and collected a Hall of Famer's amount of accolades. Someone the Warriors were reportedly "reasonably close" to acquiring in February before the Clippers had a change of heart, per Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard.
Leonard's availability issues are a constant worry, and maybe this would be too much fate-tempting given the age and injury risks of this roster already. That said, his healthy version would be close to a dream get for Golden State—an elite talent who could enhance the Warriors stars and also shine bright without them.
He is good enough to carry the offense and skilled enough as a shooter to thrive in an off-ball support role, too. And even if he's not as athletic as he was in his prime, his mind and catcher's mitts are still pretty potent defensive tools.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
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The Warriors' summer wish list is no different from the one they brought to the deadline: It's still Giannis over everybody.
The only difference is now Milwaukee may not set quite such an egregious asking price. His relationship with the Bucks seemingly grows more tenuous by the second, his availability concerns aren't going away and he's only guaranteed one more season on his current contract.
In other words, even though the Warriors couldn't afford him in February, they might have enough to get him now. Or it's at least plausible to the point that investing more mental resources on this pursuit is both sensible and smart. That's not to say Golden State is definitely getting him, but it should be firmly in the running.
And if it is, there's really nothing else to say. He's Giannis bleepin' Antetokounmpo. The Warriors have been ready to blow their budget for him for a good while now, and they'd jump at the chance right now if they could. Even with his shaky shooting and inconsistent availability, he's worth an all-in wager as one of the most powerful two-way forces on the planet.
