The Golden State Warriors have won five straight after a miserable 0-3 start to the campaign. There's suddenly new life to this team, with Stephen Curry playing like an MVP and Yaxel Lendeborg climbing the ladder to stardom at record pace. The only drag on this fast start? Kristaps Porzingis, who is currently sitting at home — unpaid — as he reportedly contemplates retirement.

Porzingis is dealing with a private health-related matter. The Warriors are withholding salary, claiming that Porzingis is failing to render services. From Golden State's perspective, it's a $20 million void on the payroll. It is also a potentially valuable trade chip. Even if he does opt for retirement, the Warriors should try to package Porzingis' salary with other players or picks to upgrade the roster. Steph deserves an all-in approach at this stage of his career. Let's map out a few options:

This Warriors-Pelicans trade sends Trey Murphy III to Golden State

Trey Murphy has been a staple in trade rumors for a while now. It's hard to gauge the vision of this New Orleans Pelicans front office under Joe Dumars, but Murphy is bound to end up in talks again. Whether the Pelicans actually negotiate in good faith remains to be seen — a better-than-expected start to the season could give the Pels some false confidence — but Golden State should be at the front of the line, just in case.

Murphy is the rare 26-year-old, stat-stuffing wing on a completely reasonable contract. He's on the books for $87 million over the next three years, a $29 million AAV. Murphy has come out of the gate slow, but that's not really a concern. His blend of size and shot-making, with increasing variety and success off the dribble, is too valuable to pass up.

He's the dream Warriors target, and for good reason. Murphy has deep 3-point range, with an unblockable high release point and endless confidence. Golden State's offense is at its best when Steph has a running mate with real gravity, who can further compromise the defense and free up the paint for slashers like Yaxel Lendeborg and, when healthy, Jimmy Butler.

The Pelicans can send Porzingis into retirement to free up cap space and empower Moses Moody, another talented wing in his mid-20s on a favorable contract (two years, $25.5 million). Factor in two first-round picks, as this deal could pay off on both sides. If Porzingis swerves and decides to stick around, he's basically the perfect center for a Zion Williamson team.

This Warriors-Bulls trade sends Norman Powell to Golden State

A slightly less ambitious but more attainable option: Norman Powell. The Chicago Bulls inked the 2026 All-Star (remember that?) to a one-year, $21.5 million contract that is practically designed to be traded. Powell has a reasonable $22.5 million team option for the 2027-28 campaign, but Golden State can just as easily free up cap space next summer.

Powell provides critical shot-making and level-headedness to a young and unwieldy Bulls lineup. He's not off to his best start, but Powell has strung together eight straight seasons of 38-plus percent shooting from long range. There's no reason to doubt his track record as a hyper-efficient perimeter scorer who's comfortable ranging off-ball and picking his spots in the flow of the offense.

He's a clean fit in Golden State's system and a strong complement, again, to Lendeborg and Butler, once the latter works his way back. Powell won't provide much on defense, but the expendable nature of his contract caps the downside risk. Golden State can give up a protected 2027 first-round pick to a Bulls team focused on the future, with Porzingis free to retire or suit up in Chicago. Charles Bassey's minimum contract is pure salary filler.

This Warriors-Hornets trade sends Brandon Miller to Golden State

The Charlotte Hornets made the bold and unexpected move to trade LaMelo Ball this summer. The goal was clear: to stockpile assets and build around the next-gen wing duo of Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Anybody basing decisions solely on the first two weeks of the season should be far from an NBA front office job, but it's hard not to look at Brandon Miller's numbers (and Charlotte's offense as a whole) and wince.

LaMelo's absence is deeply felt. Miller also had to endure the absence of Knueppel and Coby White to begin the year, which is part of the problem. But Charlotte's supposed new No. 1 is averaging 22.0 points and 2.3 assists — on abysmal .359/.267/.861 splits, with a 42.8 effective field goal percentage.

Miller is in over his head as the spearhead of Charlotte's offense. He's not built to set the table and create everything from scratch. That does not mean his five-year, $208.3 million contract extension becomes an immediate albatross. The 23-year-old would benefit immensely from Steph's gravitational pull, not to mention to additional firepower Lendeborg and Butler provide as potential running mates on the wing.

A career 36.5 percent shooter from deep, Miller is at his best launching off the catch and attacking defenses in rotation, or out on the break. The Warriors' desire to push tempo and swing the rock should put Miller in more favorable situations; Charlotte is on pace for the worst offense in the NBA this season by a country mile. The Dubs could acquire Miller with a guaranteed five-year runway for development, while the Hornets add more draft capital to their war chest and plan for a future built on Knueppel's shoulders. Charlotte gets a Moses Moody flier and two first-round picks on top of Porzingis' blank-slate contract.