Some careers are measured less by a single season than by the gap between what was promised and what arrived. On a Friday night in mid-November, the New Orleans Pelicans played the Memphis Grizzlies without guard Dejounte Murray, who sat out with a left ankle sprain and was not in the building at all, after his representatives at Klutch Sports told the club he wants to be traded. The organization confirmed the request and said it would weigh only those options that serve its own interests, while a roster that has won once in nine games with him searches for a way forward that neither side has
Pelicans Confirm Dejounte Murray Has Requested a Trade and Will Explore Options
The Pelicans are 1-8 with him in the lineup.
Mark
Let's start with the basics. What did the Pelicans actually confirm?
Mimi
That Murray's representatives at Klutch Sports told them he wants to be traded, and that the team will evaluate trade opportunities in its own best interest. That's the whole official position.
Luke
Worth noting the request came through his reps, not from Murray himself on the record. We haven't heard him explain it.
Mark
He missed Friday's game with an ankle sprain. Is that connected?
Mimi
Mosley said he wasn't in the building, from what he'd been told. That's striking for an injured player, since many still attend.
Luke
But be careful. The reporting doesn't say the absence is related to the request. Mosley relayed secondhand information, and no one has explained why Murray was away.
Mark
What makes the deal hard to do?
Mimi
Money and health. He's making $32.8 million, has a $30.8 million player option for next season, and has played just 54 games in three seasons here.
Luke
And the Pelicans are 1-8 with him playing, which is stark. But that's a small sample on a team in a losing streak, so it doesn't prove he's the cause.
Mark
How did Mosley handle it?
Mimi
He steered toward the team's standard of play and said the last three games didn't reflect the organization or the city.
Luke
He never said whether he wants Murray back, and the team hasn't named any trade partner. That's still unknown.
Der Puls
- A guard who was acquired as a long-term answer is now asking to leave, and the request arrived in the middle of a four-game losing streak.
- Murray is not in the building, the team lists him out with an ankle sprain, and the coach is left to speak about other players.
- The Pelicans have committed only to evaluating trade options, with no timeline and no destinations named.
- Any suitor must weigh $32.8 million owed this season, a $30.8 million player option, and a body that has missed long stretches since the Achilles injury.
- The franchise sits in a quiet stretch of uncertainty, waiting for a partner willing to take the contract and its risks.
Some careers are measured less by a single season than by the gap between what was promised and what arrived. On a Friday night in mid-November, the New Orleans Pelicans played the Memphis Grizzlies without guard Dejounte Murray, who sat out with a left ankle sprain and was not in the building at all, after his representatives at Klutch Sports told the club he wants to be traded. The organization confirmed the request and said it would weigh only those options that serve its own interests, while a roster that has won once in nine games with him searches for a way forward that neither side has yet named.
On Friday night the New Orleans Pelicans faced the Memphis Grizzlies without Dejounte Murray, who was listed out with a left ankle sprain and was not at the Smoothie King Center. Coach Jamahl Mosley said only that Murray was not in the building, as far as he had been told. Earlier in the day the club had explained the absence more fully: Murray's representatives at Klutch Sports had informed the team that he wants a trade, and the Pelicans confirmed the request while promising to evaluate only moves in the organization's best interest.
New Orleans had acquired Murray in June 2024 from the Atlanta Hawks, giving up two first-round picks along with Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. He arrived as a playmaker who could relieve pressure on Zion Williamson, coming off a strong season and an All-Star year in 2022. Injuries, however, defined his time in New Orleans: a broken hand early in 2024, then a season-ending Achilles tear in January 2025. Across three seasons he has played only 54 games for the Pelicans, and this season he is averaging 13.4 points on 41.9% shooting in nine appearances, with the team 1-8 when he plays.
The request came during a four-game slide. Mosley said he was focused on his other players and spoke about the standard he wants the team to meet, pointing to the promise shown in training camp and the preseason. The last three games, he said, had not reflected the organization, the city, or the style the Pelicans had promised, and his attention now is on returning to that basketball.
What comes next depends on whether a team will take on Murray's $32.8 million salary, his injury history, and the $30.8 million option for next season. For now, the Pelicans have agreed only to explore offers.
On Friday night, the New Orleans Pelicans took the floor against the Memphis Grizzlies without Dejounte Murray, and the guard was not at the Smoothie King Center at all. Coach Jamahl Mosley, asked where he was, said only that Murray was not in the building, from what he had been told. The team had listed Murray as out with a left ankle sprain. Earlier that day, the Pelicans had put out a statement that explained the empty locker more fully.
Murray's representatives at Klutch Sports had informed the team that he wants to be traded. In its statement, the club confirmed the request and said it would evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of the organization. The statement named no timeline and no possible destinations.
Murray is 30. New Orleans acquired him in June 2024 from the Atlanta Hawks, paying two first-round picks plus Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. David Griffin, then the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, saw a defender and playmaker who could take ball-handling pressure off Zion Williamson. Murray arrived off a season in which he averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, and he had been an All-Star in 2022. In New Orleans, though, he never came close to that level of play.
Injuries shaped much of his time there. He broke his hand in the 2024 season opener, and in January 2025 he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. 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.
This season has not reversed the trend. Murray has played nine games and is averaging 13.4 points while shooting 41.9% from the floor. The Pelicans are 1-8 in games he has played. He is earning $32.8 million this season and holds a player option worth $30.8 million for next season, figures any interested team will have to weigh.
The request landed in the middle of a four-game losing streak. Asked how it felt to have a player seek a trade at such a moment, Mosley said he was concentrating on other players. He said how the team plays matters a great deal to him and that he wants to keep up a standard. That, he said, is why the recent play stands out so sharply, given what the group showed in training camp and the preseason.
Mosley acknowledged that the first couple of games did not go in the win column but said the team did many good things in them. The last three games, he said, have not represented the organization, the city, or the style the team said it would play. His focus over the past day or so, he said, has been on how to get back to the basketball that represents the franchise the right way.
What happens next depends on whether the Pelicans can find a partner willing to take on Murray's salary, his injury history and the option for next season. The team has committed only to exploring offers, not to a deal.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Today, Dejounte Murray's representatives informed us of his request to be traded.— Pelicans statement
He's not in the building, from what I've been told.— Jamahl Mosley, Pelicans coach
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