A player who has spent years building a career in the league has reached a point where frustration spilled out in public, and the spill has now become a request to leave. Dejounte Murray, once an All-Star, has asked to be traded from the New Orleans Pelicans, according to reporting that names ESPN's Shams Charania as the source, after a blowout loss to Brooklyn set off a string of posts he later deleted. What he meant by the charges of sabotage and scapegoating remains unexplained, and it is that silence, more than the trade request itself, that leaves the story open. Whether the team and his
Pelicans Guard Dejounte Murray Requests Trade After Profane Social Media Rant Over Team's Struggles
"THE 'SABOTAGE' IS REAL"
Mark
Start with the basics. What actually happened here?
Mimi
Murray lashed out online after a blowout loss to Brooklyn on Wednesday, then deleted the posts. By Friday, ESPN reported he wants a trade.
Mark
What was he reacting to?
Mimi
Criticism of his play and of the team's offense. He questioned how post plays were being run and told critics they had no idea what the team was dealing with.
Luke
Let's separate what's solid from what isn't. The posts are documented. The trade request is attributed to unnamed sources via Charania.
Mark
And the word "sabotage"?
Mimi
He used it twice, along with "scapegoat," and said fans would be embarrassed if they knew what was going on inside. He never said what he meant.
Luke
Which is the big gap. It's an accusation with nothing specified. We don't know who he thinks is sabotaging whom, or whether the team agrees there's a problem.
Mark
What about the 1-8 record with him on the floor?
Mimi
That was the stat he was responding to. It's a real number in the story, but it tells us about results, not causes.
Luke
Right, and his averages of 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists don't settle blame either way.
Mark
So what comes next?
Mimi
His agent Rich Paul and team officials are working on a resolution. Whether that means a trade, and when, is still open.
Le Pouls
- Murray fired off profane posts after a blowout loss to the Nets, questioning the offense and the people calling the plays.
- His claims of 'sabotage' and 'scapegoat' hang over the locker room with no explanation attached.
- Reports say he wants out, and agent Rich Paul and team officials have begun working toward a resolution.
- The Pelicans sit at 1-8 with Murray on the floor, and the clock on a trade window is ticking.
- Murray has been ruled out for the NBA Cup game against Memphis, and the team's public response is still pending.
A player who has spent years building a career in the league has reached a point where frustration spilled out in public, and the spill has now become a request to leave. Dejounte Murray, once an All-Star, has asked to be traded from the New Orleans Pelicans, according to reporting that names ESPN's Shams Charania as the source, after a blowout loss to Brooklyn set off a string of posts he later deleted. What he meant by the charges of sabotage and scapegoating remains unexplained, and it is that silence, more than the trade request itself, that leaves the story open. Whether the team and his agent, Rich Paul, can turn this into a clean departure or a repaired relationship is still unknown.
On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray wants to be traded. The report, citing sources, says his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, and team officials have started working toward a resolution for the former All-Star.
The request came after a rough night. Following a lopsided loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Murray lashed out online at criticism of his play, posting profane replies and then deleting them. He asked whether post plays were meant to go to the block or the three-point line, invited the team's social media 'coach, GM and President' to answer, and said critics had no idea what the team was dealing with.
He went further, urging fans to ask teammates how they felt and suggesting people would be embarrassed to back the team if they knew what was happening behind the scenes. When a post noted the Pelicans are 1-8 with him on the floor, he replied that someone must have hit a nerve, and that 'the sabotage is real.' He never said what he meant.
Murray is averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and he has been ruled out for the Pelicans' NBA Cup game against Memphis. What remains unknown is how the team will move forward, whether a trade happens, and what, if anything, Murray believes is going on inside the organization.
On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray wants to be traded. According to the report, which cites sources, Murray's agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, and team officials have begun working on a resolution for the one-time All-Star.
The request follows a public outburst. After the Pelicans lost badly to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, Murray responded on social media to criticism of his play, posting a series of profane replies and then deleting them.
One post took aim at the offense. Murray asked whether post plays are supposed to catch the ball on the block or at the three-point line, and invited the "social media coach, GM and President" to weigh in. He wrote that critics had no idea what the team was dealing with.
He went further. He suggested people should ask the whole team individually how they feel, and then rethink a lot of what they were saying. He wrote that fans would be embarrassed to support the team if they knew why he was using words like "scapegoat" or "sabotage," based on what he said was going on behind the scenes. He did not say, in the posts as reproduced, what he meant.
In a separate post, Murray answered a stat pointing out that the Pelicans are 1-8 with him on the floor. "From what's going on INSIDE, this sounds like someone hit you to say this," he wrote, adding that "THE 'SABOTAGE' IS REAL."
Murray is averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season. He was downgraded to out for the Pelicans' NBA Cup group stage game against the Memphis Grizzlies, which was set for tonight.
What the reporting establishes is limited. The posts and their deletion are documented, as is the 1-8 record with Murray playing. The trade request itself rests on Charania's sources, and the details of the resolution Paul and the team are pursuing have not been described. Murray has not explained what he meant by sabotage, and the team's response to those claims has not been reported. What to watch is whether New Orleans moves him, and how, and whether anyone clarifies what Murray says is happening inside the organization.
Citations marquantes
Murray wants a trade from the franchise, and his agent Rich Paul and team officials have started working on a resolution, sources told ESPN.— Shams Charania, ESPN
THE 'SABOTAGE' IS REAL!!— Dejounte Murray, in a since-deleted social media post
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