On a Friday night in New Orleans, a player who once carried All-Star distinction sat out a game, and the absence carried more weight than a single injury report could hold. Dejounte Murray, three seasons into a costly and fractured stint with the Pelicans, had his agents at Klutch Sports ask for a trade, and the franchise answered with the careful language of an organization preparing to weigh its options. The story is one of ambition meeting frustration: a veteran whose body has repeatedly failed him, a team that has struggled to win with him on the floor, and a contract that makes every deci
Dejounte Murray Requests Trade From Pelicans Amid Public Feud and Social Media Fallout
The team is 1-8 in the games he has played in that stretch.
Mark
Start with the basics. What actually happened Friday?
Mimi
Murray's agents at Klutch Sports told the Pelicans he wants out. The team issued a statement saying it will evaluate trade opportunities that serve the organization's interests. Meanwhile he was ruled out against Memphis with an ankle sprain and wasn't at the arena.
Mark
Why does the history matter here?
Mimi
The Pelicans paid a lot in June 2024: two first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. And he's played 54 games for them in three seasons, with the team 1-8 in those games.
Luke
That record is a small sample, nine games. It's accurate as reported, but I wouldn't lean on it as proof of anything about Murray himself.
Mark
And the social media posts?
Mimi
He answered a note that the team was 3-0 without him by saying the sabotage was real, then deleted it. It signals real friction.
Luke
But we don't know what he meant. The reporting doesn't say who or what he was pointing at, and the Pelicans haven't answered it in anything quoted here.
Mark
Does the losing streak change how to read the request?
Mimi
Some people noticed the timing, with the team losing four straight. Mosley sidestepped it and talked about getting back to the style they showed early in the season.
Luke
Also, the salary figure is described as reported, not confirmed by the team. And a trade request doesn't mean a trade. We don't know if any team is interested.
Mark
So what's the thing to watch?
Mimi
Whether he's moved by the deadline, and how that $30.8 million player option next season affects what a buyer will give up.
Il Polso
- A trade request surfaced on the same night Murray was ruled out with a left ankle sprain, leaving the team's rotation and its message both uncertain.
- Murray's social media post, which hinted at 'sabotage' before being deleted, has turned a private frustration into a public dispute.
- The Pelicans, on a four-game losing streak, are weighing trade options while their coach insists the recent losses do not reflect who they are.
- A $32.8 million salary and a $30.8 million player option will shape every offer, and the trade deadline is closing in.
On a Friday night in New Orleans, a player who once carried All-Star distinction sat out a game, and the absence carried more weight than a single injury report could hold. Dejounte Murray, three seasons into a costly and fractured stint with the Pelicans, had his agents at Klutch Sports ask for a trade, and the franchise answered with the careful language of an organization preparing to weigh its options. The story is one of ambition meeting frustration: a veteran whose body has repeatedly failed him, a team that has struggled to win with him on the floor, and a contract that makes every decision more expensive than it first appears.
On Friday night in New Orleans, Dejounte Murray was not at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans ruled him out against the Memphis Grizzlies with a left ankle sprain, and coach Jamahl Mosley would say only that Murray was not in the building, "from what I've been told." The absence came the same day Murray's representatives at Klutch Sports informed the team that he wants to be traded. The Pelicans confirmed the request and said they would evaluate options in the organization's best interest.
Murray, 30, is a former All-Star who arrived in June 2024 from Atlanta, with two first-round picks and three players heading the other way. The team hoped he would steady the ball-handling beside Zion Williamson. Injuries repeatedly interrupted that plan. A broken hand ended his first opener, and an Achilles tear in January 2025 ended his season. Across three years he has played just 54 games for New Orleans, and the Pelicans are 1-8 in the games he has played.
The rift has also surfaced publicly. After a reporter noted the team was 3-0 without him, Murray replied that the "sabotage" was real, and the post was soon deleted. What he meant, and who he blamed, remains unclear.
Mosley, meanwhile, has focused on the team's recent four-game slide, saying the last three games did not reflect the organization or the city. What comes next is the trade market, where Murray's $32.8 million salary and $30.8 million player option will determine how much interest any deal can draw before the deadline.
On Friday night in New Orleans, Dejounte Murray was not at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans had ruled him out against the Memphis Grizzlies with a left ankle sprain, and when coach Jamahl Mosley was asked about it, he said only that Murray was not in the building, "from what I've been told."
The absence came on the same day Murray's representatives at Klutch Sports told the team he wants to be traded. The Pelicans confirmed it in a statement: they had been informed of the request, and they would evaluate trade opportunities that are in the best interest of the organization.
Murray is 30 and a former All-Star, honored in 2022. New Orleans acquired him in June 2024 from the Atlanta Hawks, paying two first-round picks along with Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. David Griffin, then the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, saw him as a defender and playmaker who could help with ball-handling alongside Zion Williamson. By the source's account, though, Murray never came close to the level of play that earned him that All-Star selection.
Injuries shaped his time in New Orleans. He broke his hand in the 2024 season opener, then tore up his season again with an Achilles injury in January 2025 that ended it. Across the last three seasons he has appeared in only 54 games for the Pelicans, averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds. The team is 1-8 in games he has played in that stretch.
His finances now frame any deal. Murray is reportedly earning $32.8 million this season and holds a player option for $30.8 million next season.
The public side of the rift had already surfaced. After a social media reporter noted the Pelicans were 3-0 without Murray in the lineup, he replied that, from what was going on inside, it sounded like someone had texted the reporter to say it, and added that the "sabotage" was real. The post was deleted soon afterward. Fox's reporting does not say what he meant by sabotage or who he believed was responsible.
The timing of the request drew some scrutiny, because it arrived while New Orleans was on a four-game losing streak. Mosley kept his comments on the team in front of him. How well the team plays matters to him, he said, and that is why the lapses stand out, given what he saw in training camp and the preseason. He described the early games as ones that did not end in wins but showed a lot of good things, and said the last three games did not represent the organization, the city, or the way the team said it would play. His focus over the past day or so, he said, has been getting back to that style.
What comes next is the trade market. Watch whether the Pelicans move Murray before the deadline, and whether his $32.8 million salary and $30.8 million player option complicate what other teams will offer.
Citazioni salienti
Today, Dejounte Murray's representatives informed us of his request to be traded. We will evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of our organization.— New Orleans Pelicans statement
He's not in the building, from what I've been told.— Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley
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