The Pelicans have already stumbled into a cleaner answer than they may have expected.
Three straight wins have changed the mood in New Orleans, and they’ve also sharpened the conversation around what happens when Dejounte Murray comes back. With Murray sidelined, Jeremiah Fears has taken over the offense, Herb Jones has been back in the starting five, and the Pelicans have gone from a 0-4 start to wins over Sacramento, Atlanta, and previously unbeaten Memphis.
That run has made one thing look obvious: the current setup deserves more runway.
Fears has earned a longer look with the starters, and Jones gives that group a defensive backbone that has helped the Pelicans settle in. The numbers back up the eye test.
In the four games Murray played, Fears averaged 9.0 points and 1.8 assists. In the three games Murray missed, he jumped to 18.0 points and 9.0 assists.
Whatever the explanation, he has simply looked better without Murray on the floor.
The Memphis game only pushed that point harder, even with a rough shooting night. Fears finished 5-for-17 and committed four turnovers, but he still handed out seven assists, grabbed an important rebound late, and knocked down the winning free throws.
That’s the kind of performance that should not shake his standing. At this stage, his role ought to be stable enough to survive an off night. New Orleans needs to find out how well he can steer this offense, and that means giving him real reps against starting-caliber competition.
Keeping Jones in that mix matters too. The Pelicans have clearly benefited from the different backcourt look, and Jones’ defense gives them a reason to keep testing Fears in that spot.
Murray, meanwhile, can still be useful in a different lane. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in his first four appearances, and that production could play well against second units. New Orleans could also stagger him with Zion Williamson or Trey Murphy III, giving him chances to work as a scorer and ball-handler when Fears sits.
There’s another wrinkle worth exploring: Derik Queen’s passing. Murray could share some of the initiation work with Queen and attack as a scorer when the center handles the facilitation. It would take time to build that chemistry, but the fit has enough intrigue to justify a look.
The key is clarity. If Murray moves to the bench, the Pelicans still need to define exactly what his job is.
Touches and decision-making can’t be left vague. Simply sending him to the reserves won’t solve anything if the offense still lacks a clear chain of command.
That’s where Willie Green can keep some flexibility. He can adjust closing lineups based on performance and matchups, while still preserving a starting group that has found some traction. That approach would give New Orleans continuity without locking it into the same finishing five every night.
Murray’s contract makes this even more delicate. He has a $30.8 million player option for 2027-28, and at 30, with an Achilles rupture in his recent injury history, any team looking at him will weigh the production against the salary and the risk. That may limit the market, but it doesn’t mean the Pelicans should rush into a deal or attach assets just to move him.
If Murray won’t accept a reserve role, then the situation gets tougher. But the standard for any move should stay the same: New Orleans should be looking for shooting, perimeter defense, or future assets. Financial relief can matter too, as long as it doesn’t come at the cost of useful players or picks for too little return.
The Pelicans don’t need to let the original price tag dictate the next move. They also don’t need to force another expensive transaction just because the roster once looked different on paper.
Right now, the better play is sitting in front of them. Keep Fears with the starters, give Murray a defined role off the bench, and don’t make a bigger move unless the return is worth it.
In Other News...
Pelicans Win Streak Faces A Bigger Test Than It Looks
After opening the season with four straight losses, the Pelicans have steadied themselves with three consecutive wins and suddenly look a lot more like a team trying to sort out its identity than one stuck in an early hole. Jamahl Mosley has been mixing and matching lineups as he searches for the right balance, a process that has helped New Orleans get to 3-4 while also revealing how much room there still is for the group to grow.
The next step comes against Utah, and it is the kind of matchup that can tell a lot more about the Pelicans than the standings suggest. New Orleans has shown enough to believe the recent surge is real, but the Jazz bring a different level of test, one that should expose whether the Pelicans strengths can travel beyond a short hot streak and hold up against a team already familiar with them. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Could Get A Needed Offensive Boost Against Utah
The Pelicans head into their matchup with Utah with a little more offensive help on the way, and that matters for a team still trying to find its rhythm early in the season. Trey Murphy III and Jordan Poole are both on the injury report, but the encouraging part for New Orleans is that each is listed as probable, giving the club a better chance to add some scoring punch and shot creation against the Jazz.
Murphy has been dealing with patella tendinopathy, while Poole is managing ankle tendinopathy, but neither issue appears likely to keep them out. For a Pelicans offense that can use every extra option it can get, having both available would give the rotation more flexibility and another layer of pressure on Utah's defense. [Read more 🡒]