Pelicans' Dejounte Murray Makes Big Season Debut Announcement

The New Orleans Pelicans guard is expected to return to the court on Tuesday after a year's absence.

Jan 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) is announced to the crowd against the Utah Jazz during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

After a long 13 months away from the floor, it looks like the wait is finally over for New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray. Interim head coach James Borrego said the former All-Star guard looked good in practice on Monday and will be listed as a game-time decision. When reporters asked Murray about his status for Tuesday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors, the Seattle native responded with a simple, yet affirmative statement, “Yes sir. Let’s do it.”

Murray hasn't played since January 31, 2025, when he suffered a devastating rupture of his right Achilles tendon in a game against the Boston Celtics. The setback marked a season full of injuries for the Pelicans, starting with Murray, who fractured his hand in the opening game, forcing the versatile guard to miss the next month of play. His acquisition in the previous offseason was seen as a glimmer of hope and the missing piece the Pelicans needed to contend in the Western Conference.

Dejounte Murray on playing Tuesday: “Yes sir. Let’s do it.”

— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) February 23, 2026

The Pelicans traded away Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, Jr., E.J. Liddell, and two future first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Murray. New Orleans hoped his pairing alongside Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram would give the Pelicans a formidable starting lineup to contend with. Instead, the foursome never played a regular-season game together, and Ingram was eventually traded to the Toronto Raptors before the trade deadline.

Murray appeared in 31 games last year, averaging 17.5 points, 7.4 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and two steals per game. His playmaking has been sorely missed by New Orleans this season, with the team struggling to find answers offensively during long stretches and easily exposed defensively on cross-matchups. When healthy, the former first-round pick can help mask some of these deficiencies, but coming off such a major injury, the team will no doubt reacclimate him slowly back into the lineup.

One immediate impact he could have is his leadership of the younger players, especially rookie Jeremiah Fears. Borrego told reporters last week what Murray brings back to the team whenever he returns. “Leadership, poise, just his voice, his mentality,” Borrego said about Murray’s strengths. “The competitive spirit. He’s a 2-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.”

New Orleans is 16-42 on the year, guaranteeing their sixth losing season in the last eight years. Murray’s return could prove to be a glimmer of optimism, if not a deep insight into his future in New Orleans. He is set to make $32 million next season and has a player option for the year after. The team already has a muddled outlook on guard Jordan Poole, who was benched for multiple weeks, but recently returned to the lineup. New Orleans does not expect to have two guards making $30+ million each in their long-term future, so the last 24 games will go a long way in determining who stays and who goes in New Orleans.