Dejounte Murray requests trade, with Pelicans saying they will try to move him

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans said Friday they will try to trade disgruntled guard Dejounte Murray after his representatives with Klutch Sports requested a move.

“Today, Dejounte Murray’s representatives informed us of his request to be traded,” the Pelicans said in a statement. “We will evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of our organization.”

The 30-year-old Murray was ruled out Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies because of a left ankle sprain, and Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley said Murray was not at the Smoothie King Center.

“He’s not in the building, from what I’ve been told,” Mosley said.

The Pelicans acquired Murray in a June 2024 trade with the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for two first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell.

David Griffin, then serving as the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, viewed Murray as a defender and playmaker who could provide ball-handling help for Zion Williamson, but he never approached the play that had earned him All-Star honors in 2022.

At the time of the trade, Murray was coming off a season in which he averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Murray’s tenure with the Pelicans was dogged by injuries. He broke his hand in the 2024 season opener and then suffered a season ending Achilles injury in January 2025.

Over the last three seasons, Murray has played just 54 games with New Orleans, averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds. He has struggled from the floor, shooting just 41.9% and averaging only 13.4 points per game in nine games this season.

The Pelicans have gone 1-8 with him in the lineup.

Murray is making $32.8 million this season and has a player option for $30.8 million next season. He recently made his frustrations with the team clear through several critical social media posts.

After one social media reporter mentioned the Pelicans were 3-0 without him in the lineup, Murray wrote back: “From what’s going on INSIDE, this sounds like someone hit you to say this! THE ‘SABOTAGE’ IS REAL!”

The tweet was deleted shortly after.

Asked how he felt about a player demanding a trade in the middle of a four-game losing streak, Mosley said he was trying to focus on other players.

“How well we play is very important to me, and making sure that we keep up that standard,” Mosley said. “That’s why it’s so glaring when we don’t, because I know what this team has shown during training camp, what it has shown during the preseason.

“The first couple games didn’t go on the win column, but the way we played, we did a lot of good things. … As the leader of this group, how we’ve been playing these last three games have not been a representation of this organization, the city, of the way we said we were going to play. That’s been my focus over this last day or so. How do we get back to that style of basketball that we know represents this organization the right way?”

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