Dejounte Murray may already be the most important swing piece in the Pelicans’ guard room, and it has less to do with his passing or defense than one simple number: what he does from three.
New Orleans heads into the 2026-27 season with a healthy roster, which is a notable change for a team that has spent far too much time dealing with injuries. Murray is a big reason for that optimism.
After a rough first two seasons in New Orleans, he finally gives the Pelicans a strong three-guard group alongside sophomore Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole. There’s no shortage of ball handling there.
The question is whether that group can become truly dangerous. For that to happen, Murray has to be more than just a creator. He has to be a reliable threat from outside.
Over his 10-year NBA career, Murray has built a reputation as an elite playmaker, a pesky defender, a strong rebounder, and a good finisher. The one trait that has never stayed steady is his shooting.
When he’s rolling, he can launch pull-up threes from deep and make them look routine. Other nights, the shot simply isn’t there.
That inconsistency matters even more now because the league is built around three-point shooting, and New Orleans already has spacing concerns. The Pelicans cannot afford to have Murray ignored on the perimeter.
Nobody is asking him to become a 40 percent shooter overnight or reinvent himself as a perimeter scorer. His best value will always come as a passer and offensive organizer. But if he can land in the 36-37 percent range from deep, the Pelicans’ ceiling gets a lot higher.
That kind of jump is not out of the question. Murray shot 30.6 percent from three last season, but he also appeared in just 14 games and was coming back from a major Achilles injury. It’s reasonable to think he still wasn’t fully back under him.
There’s also a clear pattern in his career: Murray has been far more effective as a catch-and-shoot guy than as a shooter off the dribble. That showed up in his final season with the Atlanta Hawks, when he hit 36.3 percent from three while playing next to Trae Young and taking advantage of the looks Young created.
That makes the coaching part of this equation huge.
Jamahl Mosley is not likely to run the offense like a pure play-caller, but he still has to create chances for Murray to get clean catch-and-shoot opportunities. One obvious path is putting Zion Williamson in the middle of the action and letting him operate as a passer. From there, the Pelicans could run Murray and Trey Murphy III off screens and through movement to generate better looks and lift the team’s three-point production.
New Orleans did not go out and solve its spacing issue this offseason, which means the answer has to come from inside the building. If Murray gets back to the three-point form he showed in 2023-24, that would go a long way toward making this roster work.
In Other News...
Pelicans Have A 2027 Draft Opportunity Fans Should Already Be Watching
The long view already matters in New Orleans, and one of the more intriguing pieces on the horizon is a first-round pick the Pelicans hold from Milwaukee for the 2027 NBA draft. It is the kind of asset that can quietly shape a franchises next move before most fans are even fully focused on it, especially for a team that has spent plenty of time weighing present-day roster needs against the value of future flexibility.
The early buzz around that draft class is part of what makes the pick worth tracking now, with Kansas forward Tyran Stokes, Arkansas guard Jordan Smith Jr. and Arizona guard Caleb Holt drawing attention as possible high-end targets. Each brings a different profile, and for the Pelicans the appeal is obvious: a chance to land a premium talent at a time when the roster picture could look very different than it does today. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Still Face One Contract Debate As Dejounte Murray Rebounds
Dejounte Murrays standing around the league has changed enough that the Pelicans can at least breathe easier about one of their pricier commitments. Murray was removed from a recent list of the NBAs worst contracts, a small but meaningful development for a New Orleans team trying to sort out its long-term salary picture while keeping enough on hand to compete now. He still has two years left on the deal, including a player option for next season, but the expectation is that hell be part of the rotation and provide real value this season.
Even with that bit of relief, the contract conversation in New Orleans is far from settled. The Pelicans are also focused on building around Jeremiah Favors as the future point guard, which puts a spotlight on how the roster is taking shape beyond Murray. Jordan Pooles expiring contract is another piece of the puzzle, and in some eyes it may end up looking like the teams toughest financial question if the season doesnt go the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Quiet Offseason Puts Dumars And This Roster Under Pressure
Joe Dumars made it clear the Pelicans were active behind the scenes this offseason, saying the front office had plenty of trade conversations but never found a deal that truly improved the team enough to justify pulling the trigger. For a roster that has now gone through back-to-back seasons with fewer than 30 wins, the lack of movement stands out, especially with most of the core still in place and Jamahl Mosley arriving as the new head coach to try to steer a group that has not met expectations.
The bigger issue for New Orleans is what comes next. Dumars comments suggest patience for now, but they also leave the franchise in a familiar spot, stuck between wanting to compete and needing real change to get there. With the offseason largely quiet and the roster mostly intact, the Pelicans enter the year with a new coach, an experienced executive making the calls and an open question about whether the next decisive move is still coming. [Read more 🡒]