On a Friday night in New Orleans, a familiar story of ambition meeting misfortune unfolded quietly: guard Dejounte Murray, sidelined by an ankle sprain, was absent from the Pelicans' game, and his representatives had informed the team that he wanted to be traded. The franchise, which once paid a heavy price to bring him in as a relief for its star Zion Williamson, now says it will weigh options in its own best interest. It is the kind of moment that marks how a promising pairing can unravel when injuries, losses and public frustration accumulate faster than anyone can repair them.
Pelicans Will Try to Trade Dejounte Murray After Guard Requests Move Amid Losing Skid
The Pelicans are 1-8 with him in the lineup.
Mark
Start with the basics. What actually happened Friday?
Mimi
Murray's representatives at Klutch Sports told the Pelicans he wants to be traded. The team said it will look at trade options that serve the organization. He was also out against Memphis with an ankle sprain and wasn't at the arena.
Mark
Why does the history matter here?
Mimi
Because New Orleans paid a lot for him: two first-round picks plus Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. And he's played just 54 games for them in three seasons.
Luke
Careful with the framing, though. The injuries are documented, a broken hand and an Achilles tear, so the thin game count isn't a mystery. But the 1-8 record with him is a small sample and doesn't prove he's the cause.
Mark
What about the social media posts?
Mimi
He wrote that the sabotage was real, in reply to a post noting the team was 3-0 without him. He deleted it soon after.
Luke
And we don't know what he meant. The post alleges something about what's going on inside, but nothing in the reporting says what, or whether there's anything to it.
Mark
Does the contract complicate a trade?
Mimi
It could. He makes $32.8 million this season and has a $30.8 million player option next year.
Luke
Could, yes. The reporting doesn't say any team has shown interest or stayed away. That's the open question.
Mark
And Mosley's response?
Mimi
He steered away from Murray and talked about the team's standard, saying the last three games didn't reflect the organization or the city.
Il Polso
- The Pelicans have ruled Dejounte Murray out with a left ankle sprain just as word arrives that he wants out.
- A trade request lands in the middle of a four-game losing streak, with New Orleans sitting at 1-8 when Murray plays.
- Murray's social media outburst, including a claim of sabotage that he later deleted, has pushed the frustration into public view.
- Coach Jamahl Mosley is steering the locker room back toward the team's intended style while the front office explores trade options.
- A $32.8 million salary and a $30.8 million player option could narrow the market, and the outcome remains unsettled.
On a Friday night in New Orleans, a familiar story of ambition meeting misfortune unfolded quietly: guard Dejounte Murray, sidelined by an ankle sprain, was absent from the Pelicans' game, and his representatives had informed the team that he wanted to be traded. The franchise, which once paid a heavy price to bring him in as a relief for its star Zion Williamson, now says it will weigh options in its own best interest. It is the kind of moment that marks how a promising pairing can unravel when injuries, losses and public frustration accumulate faster than anyone can repair them.
On Friday night in New Orleans, Dejounte Murray was not at the Smoothie King Center. He had already been ruled out against Memphis with a left ankle sprain, and coach Jamahl Mosley could only say he was not in the building, as far as he had been told.
The absence came the same day the Pelicans learned that Murray's representatives had asked for a trade. The team responded that it would evaluate opportunities in the organization's best interest.
Murray, 30, arrived in June 2024 from Atlanta at a steep cost, including two first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. The hope was that he would be a defender and playmaker who could lighten the ball-handling load on Zion Williamson. He had been an All-Star and a 22.5-point scorer in Atlanta, but he has never approached that level in New Orleans. Injuries, including a broken hand and a season-ending Achilles tear, have kept him off the floor, and this season he has played nine games, shooting 41.9%.
His frustration spilled onto social media, where a pointed reply about the team's 3-0 record without him was quickly deleted. Mosley, asked about the request during the losing streak, said he was focused on the players in the room and on returning the team to the basketball it had shown in training camp.
On Friday night in New Orleans, Dejounte Murray was not at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans had already ruled him out of their game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a left ankle sprain, and coach Jamahl Mosley, asked where his guard was, said only that Murray was not in the building, from what he had been told.
The absence came on the same day the team received word that Murray wanted out. His representatives at Klutch Sports told the Pelicans he was requesting a trade. The team answered with a statement saying it would evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of the organization.
Murray is 30. New Orleans acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks in June 2024, paying a steep price: two first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell. David Griffin, then the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, saw Murray as a defender and playmaker who could ease the ball-handling burden on Zion Williamson. Murray was coming 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, he never came close to that level of play.
Injuries have shadowed his time with the team. He broke his hand in the 2024 season opener, then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in January 2025. 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 he has played nine games, averaging 13.4 points on 41.9% shooting. The Pelicans are 1-8 with him in the lineup.
The frustration has also played out in public. Murray recently posted several critical messages on social media. When one social media reporter noted that the Pelicans were 3-0 without him, Murray replied that, from what was going on inside, it sounded like someone had texted the reporter to say so, adding that the sabotage was real. He deleted the post shortly afterward.
Financially, he is a significant commitment. Murray earns $32.8 million this season and holds a player option worth $30.8 million for next season.
Mosley, meanwhile, was asked how it felt to have a player demand a trade in the middle of a four-game losing streak. He said he was trying to keep his attention on the other players. How well the team plays matters a great deal to him, he said, and that is why the recent slide stands out, given what he saw in training camp and the preseason. The first couple of games did not go in the win column, he said, but the team did a lot of good things in them. As the leader of the group, he said, the last three games have not represented 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 on how to get back to the style of basketball that represents the team the right way.
What to watch now is whether Murray's salary and the player option limit interest from other teams, and how the Pelicans handle a locker room navigating both a losing streak and a trade request.
Citazioni salienti
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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