Sometimes a single report lands like a stone in still water, and the ripples reveal more than the splash. Here, a veteran point guard who has spent more time recovering from injury than playing for his New Orleans team has reportedly asked to leave, after a stretch of heavy defeats left the franchise searching for its footing. The story sits within the familiar human drama of a player whose body and career have not aligned, and a young teammate who has quietly seized the chance to become the future. How the agent and the club resolve it will say as much about patience and pride as about basket
Dejounte Murray Reportedly Requests Trade From Struggling Pelicans After Back-to-Back Blowouts
Sometimes a single report lands like a stone in still water, and the ripples reveal more than the splash. Here, a veteran point guard who has spent more time recovering from injury than playing for his New Orleans team has reportedly asked to leave, after a stretch of heavy defeats left the franchise searching for its footing. The story sits within the familiar human drama of a player whose body and career have not aligned, and a young teammate who has quietly seized the chance to become the future. How the agent and the club resolve it will say as much about patience and pride as about basketball.
On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Dejounte Murray, the veteran point guard of the New Orleans Pelicans, has asked to be traded. The request followed two of the worst losses of the season, a 51-point defeat to the Warriors and a 34-point loss to the Nets, and it arrived as Murray was already sidelined with an ankle injury.
According to the report, agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports and the Pelicans have begun working toward a resolution, though what that might look like is unclear. Murray came to New Orleans from Atlanta in 2024, but a ruptured Achilles tendon and a long recovery have limited him to just 54 games for the franchise.
This season he has played nine games, averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 assists, and he has started alongside second-year guard Jeremiah Fears, many view as the team's point guard of the future. Murray missed three games for personal reasons in late October and early November, and the Pelicans won all three, with Fears flourishing and Herb Jones providing steady defense.
Murray responded to a social media post about that record with a message that has since been deleted, hinting at sabotage without explaining himself. What remains clear is a trade request, a team and agent in contact, and a stretch of lopsided losses. Whether the frustration stems from the lineup, the losing, or something else is still unknown, and the coming weeks will show whether a deal is found and how the team handles his ankle and his public voice.
On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Dejounte Murray, the veteran point guard of the New Orleans Pelicans, has asked to be traded. The report arrived just days after the team absorbed two of its worst losses of the season: a 51-point defeat to the Warriors on Monday and a 34-point loss to the Nets on Wednesday.
According to Charania, Murray's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and the Pelicans have already started working together on a resolution. The reporting does not say what shape that might take, or whether a deal is close. Murray had also been ruled out of Friday's game against the Grizzlies with an ankle injury by the time word of the request surfaced.
Murray came to New Orleans from the Hawks in the 2024 offseason. In two-plus seasons he has appeared in only 54 games for the franchise. His 2024-25 campaign ended early with a ruptured Achilles tendon, an injury that also kept him out for most of the 2025-26 season.
This season he has played nine games, averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.4 minutes. He has started alongside second-year guard Jeremiah Fears, whom many view as the Pelicans' point guard of the future.
That pairing sits at the center of the tension. Murray missed three games in late October and early November for personal reasons, and the Pelicans won all three. Fears flourished in that stretch, and Herb Jones gave the team quality defensive play as the replacement in the starting lineup.
Murray then responded publicly to a social media post that noted the team's record in the games he missed. He wrote, in a post that has since been deleted, "From what's going on INSIDE, this sounds like someone hit you to say this! THE 'SABOTAGE' IS REAL!" The post offered no further explanation of what he meant.
What the reporting establishes is limited: a trade request, an agent and a team in contact, and a recent run of lopsided losses. Whether Murray's frustration is tied to the lineup, the losing, or something else is not laid out in the source.
What to watch now is whether Paul and the Pelicans find a deal, and how the team manages Murray's ankle injury and his public posts in the meantime.
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