Pelicans Have Dejounte Murray Conundrum in the Offseason

The New Orleans Pelicans have 19 games left in the regular season, but only 19 wins on the year, making this a back-to-back forgettable season in the Big Easy. New Orleans has some difficult decisions to make this summer on roster construction and personnel before it can think about contending in the Western Conference. One of those moves seemed like a foregone conclusion, but with guard Dejounte Murray returning from injury, his recent performance may dictate that the team go in another direction.

Murray played his first regular-season game on February 24th against the Golden State Warriors after a 13-month hiatus following his devastating ruptured Achilles injury. The 29-year-old guard quickly shook off the rust associated with the long time away from the court to pour in 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in the Pelicans' 113-109 victory. In his four games since his return, Murray is averaging 15.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game.

first bucket of the game & the season for Dejounte Murray 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/I8lgZuiagp
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 25, 2026

Dejounte Murray Exceeding All Expectations Complicates Pelicans' Offseason Plans

Many thought the former All-Star guard could be moved at the trade deadline, with some insiders speculating Murray asked for a trade because of his unhappiness in New Orleans.

After his first game since injury, the former All-Star took to social media to dispel any rumors surrounding his request to leave the Pelicans this season. “Me Or My Agent Never Requested A Trade Out Of NEW ORLEANS!!!! Joe And The Whole Organization Know I Was Locked In To Come Back Better Than Ever To Help Make This Play In Push And Whatever Comes After That!!”, Murray took to social media to explain.

The Pelicans have a tough decision to make regarding what to do with Murray moving forward. He looks every bit the player post-injury that New Orleans thought they were getting when they made the blockbuster deal to acquire him before the start of last season.

Financially, moving him makes sense for the Pelicans, and if his play remains consistent the rest of the season, his trade value may never be higher. New Orleans remains scarce with picks in the upcoming years, with no picks currently in next year’s draft and just two second-round picks over the next four years.

Murray is slated to make over $32 million next season, and, along with guard Jordan Poole, who was again inactive for Tuesday night’s loss to the Lakers, makes for an expensive backcourt. The expectation is that at least one of the guards will be moved next season to free up cap space and make room for the emergence of rookie Jeremiah Fears. Murray adds an element off the court that interim head coach James Borrego says can’t be denied.

“Leadership, poise, just his voice, his mentality,” Borrego said about Murray’s strengths. “The competitive spirit. He’s a two-way player. A guy that can defend at a high level. We’ve seen that in the past. He knows how to run the club as a point guard and can generate offense.”

Even in the small sample size since his return, you can clearly see his impact on both sides of the court. Murray has had at least one steal in all four games, while scoring at least 13 points during those contests. He capped off his return game against the Warriors by hitting a layup with under a minute to go and icing the game at the free-throw line. Those clutch moments are what New Orleans has needed over the past few seasons, and Murray has consistently shown that throughout his career.

There is a middle ground. If the market is still cool on Murray because there may still be concerns about his long-term outlook post-injury, the Pelicans could pivot to keeping him until the 2027 trade deadline. That would allow another 40+ games of tape to reinforce any sentiments about where he is in the rehab process. If he looks like the All-Defensive version of himself again, then his trade value peaks, and it allows the Pelicans to possibly command a nice draft haul for future young talent to be added to this roster.