Dejounte Murray Wants Out of New Orleans, and a Phoenix Trade Makes Sense on Paper

Dejounte Murray wants to be traded from the New Orleans Pelicans. ESPN's Shams Charania reported it, and it fits with earlier reporting from Shamit Dua of In The N.O., who wrote that both the guard and the team felt it was time to part ways. With the request now public, the process of finding him a new home is expected to speed up.

One possible landing spot is Phoenix. Chris Haynes of NBA TV reports that the Suns have already registered interest in Murray, and that there is growing frustration in their locker room because the roster has no point guard who can organize the offense. Bleacher Report's analysis takes those two reports and builds a hypothetical deal from them. It is the outlet's own proposal, not a reported agreement.

The structure is simple. New Orleans would receive Jalen Green, a 2027 second-round pick and $3.5 million in cash. Phoenix would receive Murray. Dua has written that many around the league believe the Pelicans and Murray would like to work together to find a better situation for the veteran. The analysis concedes that whether Phoenix counts as one is debatable, but says landing with a team intent on playing beyond April 11 makes at least some sense.

The case for New Orleans starts with Green, who is nearly six years younger and more athletic than Murray, and who does not have an Achilles injury behind him. Last season was the first time Green missed a significant number of games. The two have identical career three-point percentages, but the piece argues Green is the more dangerous shooter. He moves better away from the ball, and according to BBall Index he ranked in the 64th percentile or higher in pull-up three-point efficiency in each of his first three seasons. Murray has cleared that mark once.

The money works with some strain. Taking on an extra $3.5 million would use up most of the Pelicans' space beneath the luxury tax, but the analysis expects them to recover it through an inevitable Jordan Poole buyout. Phoenix would send cash to cover the difference, and the extra second-round pick would be a bonus.

The most important benefit, in this telling, is room for sophomore Jeremiah Fears. Few see him as a true lead guard, but Dua reports that head of basketball operations Joe Dumars is extremely high on him. Moving Murray would let New Orleans give Fears the reins while freeing more on-ball usage for Zion Williamson and Derik Queen.

For Phoenix, the argument is about playmaking. The Suns lean heavily on Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks to create offense out of nothing. Collin Gillespie, the piece says, would already be starting if the team knew what it was doing, but he is not a polished passer and is targeted constantly on defense. Murray has routinely averaged more rim assists per 75 possessions than any ball-handler now on the roster, and the analysis says his live-dribble vision could help optimize touches for Khaman Maluach. He would also be a defensive upgrade over Green.

There are flaws. Murray's three-point efficiency has fallen sharply since he left Atlanta, and he is attempting his fewest threes per 36 minutes since his days with the San Antonio Spurs, which matters for a Suns offense already short on shooting. The analysis also notes Phoenix may balk at including the second-rounder and the cash, since Green is younger. But it calls Green a wild card and a below-average passer, and says Murray has the higher baseline and could cost Phoenix noticeably less if his unlikely incentives do not trigger.

What to watch is whether Phoenix's interest turns into real talks, and whether any offer resembles this one. For now, only the trade request and the Suns' interest are reported. The rest is one outlet's proposal.