New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans does this trade because it finally corrects the franchise’s timeline problem and establishes real direction. Trading Dejounte Murray acknowledges that a ball-dominant, win-now guard does not fit a roster being reshaped around Jeremiah Fears as the long-term initiator and Derik Queen as an offensive hub big. Moving Herbert Jones, while difficult emotionally, is a calculated decision to cash in a peak-value role player whose prime does not fully align with the developmental arc of Fears, Queen, and Trey Murphy III.
The return is intentionally multi-layered.
Moses Moody fits the Pelicans’ new timeline perfectly: a young, scalable wing who can defend, hit open threes, and grow alongside the core without demanding usage.
Kyle Kuzma is not viewed as a centerpiece, but as a bridge forward — someone who can score, rebound, and be flipped later once the young core is ready to consolidate assets.
Jericho Sims provides cheap, athletic center depth, allowing New Orleans to protect Queen and Yves Missi from excessive physical wear.
The 2026 Warriors first-round pick is the real strategic prize. Internally, New Orleans views this as an opportunity to draft a modern defensive forward archetype — someone like Chris Cenac Jr., a Jaren Jackson Jr.–type fit who can switch, protect the rim, and stretch the floor next to Queen without competing for touches.
This deal isn’t about short-term wins. It’s about finally building a roster that makes basketball sense for the next five years.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee does this trade for one reason: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s prime cannot be wasted. The Bucks believe their championship window is still open, but fragile, and their biggest weakness has been reliable perimeter creation when defenses load up on Giannis late in games. Acquiring Dejounte Murray is a calculated upside bet — that in a reduced role, next to Giannis, Murray can rediscover near–All-Star form as a two-way guard who can initiate offense, defend at the point of attack, and stabilize playoff possessions.
The Bucks are comfortable giving up Kyle Kuzma because, while productive, he is not essential to their championship identity and overlaps positionally with other forwards. Jericho Sims is expendable depth for a team whose postseason success depends far more on guard play than back-end center minutes. Crucially, Milwaukee does this without surrendering premium first-round capital, allowing them to frame the move internally as a targeted upgrade rather than a desperation swing. This trade sends a clear message to Giannis: we are still pushing to win right now.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State accepts this deal because it is a pure Stephen Curry championship-window decision. The Warriors are willing to move Moses Moody, De'Anthony Melton, and a 2026 first-round pick because none of those assets guarantee playoff impact in the way Herbert Jones already does. From Golden State’s perspective, Herb is one of the best plug-and-play defensive wings in the league — elite point-of-attack defense, high IQ, low usage, and proven playoff utility.
Adding Herb next to Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis allows the Warriors to field one of the most suffocating defensive lineups in the NBA while preserving spacing and offensive flow. Herb takes the hardest perimeter assignment every night, reduces defensive burden on Butler and Draymond, and allows Steph to conserve energy for offense. The added 2026 second-round pick from Milwaukee helps offset the asset cost and makes the deal easier to justify internally. This is classic contender logic: trade future optionality for immediate postseason certainty.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn participates as a facilitator because it aligns perfectly with their rebuild philosophy: absorb contracts, collect picks, preserve flexibility. Taking in De'Anthony Melton gives the Nets a competent, movable veteran who can either stabilize lineups or be rerouted later for additional value. The 2031 second-round pick is viewed internally as “free” draft capital — acquired without sacrificing cap space, young players, or long-term planning. For a rebuilding team prioritizing leverage and patience, this is an easy, low-risk win.
ONE-SENTENCE LEAGUE SUMMARY
New Orleans commits to a real youth-driven direction, Milwaukee bets on Dejounte to extend Giannis’ prime, Golden State consolidates assets to maximize Steph’s championship window, and Brooklyn quietly picks up value for facilitating — a rare four-team deal where every front office can clearly justify its role.