Dejounte Murray’s words this week cut straight to the heart of what the New Orleans Pelicans are trying to build.
After a 26-win season and an offseason that brought only minor roster changes, the Pelicans are heading into the 2026-27 season with plenty of confidence in Jamahl Mosley. But for this team to actually move forward, Murray may be the piece that matters most. The veteran point guard is preparing for his first healthy season in New Orleans, and in a recent conversation with ClutchPoints, he made it clear where his priorities sit.
“... The goal is to make the playoffs.
Obviously, you’ve always got your individual goals. But if you’re a top six team in the NBA, then you guys are all doing something really well individually.
So the main goal is to keep it team-first. And that’s to get to the playoffs and the rest will take care of itself,” said Murray.
That’s the kind of line that tells you exactly why New Orleans values him so highly. Murray is speaking like a tone-setter, not just a scorer or a lead guard. He’s putting the group first, and for a Pelicans team that has been searching for that sort of voice, it matters.
Last season made that point even clearer. There was plenty of talk about Zion Williamson taking on more leadership and making the leap teams hope to see from franchise players.
But the Pelicans still lacked the kind of vocal presence that can steady a young group. When Murray came back after the New Year, that changed.
He gave New Orleans someone who could run the offense on the floor and offer direction away from it, including for players like Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
DeAndre Jordan is also in that veteran leadership mix, and that part is fair. Still, there’s a different level of authority when the voice in the room belongs to someone who is still producing at a high level.
That’s why Murray fits so naturally with a new head coach. He can function as an extension of Mosley on the court, which is valuable no matter how the season unfolds. Winning stretches and losing stretches both reveal the same thing: teams need a player who can keep the message consistent.
Murray also brings a résumé that gives his words real weight. He entered the league with the Spurs, where he developed from a strong defensive guard into an All-Star.
He has been through playoff series, shared the spotlight with Trae Young in Atlanta, and battled back from multiple major injuries. That kind of background counts over the grind of an 82-game season, and it counts even more if New Orleans ends up in the play-in or playoffs.
For the Pelicans, that experience lands with added importance because their best player still hasn’t appeared in a playoff game in what will soon be an eight-year NBA career.
Maybe Murray’s top-six seed target is a big ask. But even if that exact goal doesn’t come together, his message tells you plenty about why he matters to this team now and why he could matter even more as New Orleans looks beyond this season.
In Other News...
Pelicans Add Intriguing Guard With More At Stake Than Camp Depth
Markquis Nowell has landed another shot, this time with the Pelicans on a training camp deal after spending most of the 2023-24 season on a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors. The move gives New Orleans a closer look at a guard who has already spent time trying to carve out a place on the NBA fringe, and it adds another name to a camp roster that is still taking shape.
Nowells arrival comes in a busy stretch of modest personnel moves around the league, with Minnesota bringing in Stephen Thompson on a training camp contract and waiving Jules Bernard, and San Antonio signing Jayden Nunn after he spent most of last season with the Spurs' G League affiliate. For New Orleans, the intrigue is less about camp bodies than about whether Nowell can turn another opportunity into something more meaningful before the roster decisions start getting real. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Poole Feels Like The Pelicans' Next Tough Decision
The Pelicans have already made one notable call on their roster plans by extending Saddiq Bey on a three-year deal, and now the attention shifts to Jordan Poole. New Orleans is weighing whether to move the guard, whose fit under new head coach Jamahl Mosley has been uneven and whose performance has been inconsistent enough to keep the front office from feeling settled on him long term.
Pooles situation is getting harder to ignore with Dejounte Murray set to return from injury, a development that should naturally cut into his role. With his contract expiring, the Pelicans are staring at a familiar kind of decision for a team trying to balance talent, fit and timing, and this one could shape the backcourt picture well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]