The Pelicans are working through Dejounte Murray’s trade request, with New Orleans officials and the guard’s agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, trying to make it happen, ESPN reported Friday.
Murray, 30, is in his third season with New Orleans and is earning $32.8 million this season. He also has a $30.8 million player option for next season.
His latest stretch with the Pelicans has been interrupted by injuries, and he was ruled out Friday for the NBA Cup game against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies because of a left ankle sprain. New Orleans entered that game at 4-8 and riding a four-game losing streak.
In nine games this season, the 2016 first-round pick by the San Antonio Spurs has averaged 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
The situation grew more visible after New Orleans’ 145-111 loss to the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Murray replied on X to a post noting that the Pelicans were 1-8 with him on the floor and 3-0 without him. He has since deleted the response:
"From what's going on INSIDE, this sounds like someone hit you to say this! THE ‘SABOTAGE' IS REAL!"
New Orleans landed Murray from Atlanta in June 2024, sending two first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and E.J. Liddell to the Hawks.
Since arriving, injuries have limited Murray to 54 games from the start of the 2024-25 season. He broke his hand in the 2024-25 season opener and later suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon in January 2025. Over those 54 games, he has averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds.
Murray made his lone All-Star team in 2022, his final season with the Spurs. Across 526 games, including 455 starts, with San Antonio, Atlanta and New Orleans, he has averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
In Other News...
Nets Fans Should Watch One Costly Trade Possibility Closely
The Spurs have spent the early part of the offseason keeping the core together, re-signing most of last seasons roster and adding veteran forward Tobias Harris to help with perimeter shooting. Harris is already sidelined with a calf injury, which has only sharpened the focus on how San Antonio plans to keep spacing the floor around its young group.
Michael Porter Jr. has emerged as the name to watch in that conversation, with media speculation linking the Spurs to a possible trade for the Brooklyn Nets forward. For San Antonio, the appeal is obvious: another proven shooter who could fit the rosters needs right away, even if any move in that direction would come with a hefty price tag and plenty of questions still hanging over the idea. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Face A New Problem Before Spurs Matchup
The Warriors are heading into their matchup with San Antonio in a very different spot than they expected, with Stephen Curry sidelined by an oblique abdominal tear and set to miss at least two weeks. Golden State is bracing for the absence to stretch closer to a month, which leaves a major hole in the offense and puts even more pressure on the rest of the rotation to steady things in the short term.
Gary Payton II should help on the other end, though, after sitting out two games with left knee inflammation. The veteran guard recently re-signed with Golden State on a one-year deal and is expected to bring his usual defensive energy back into the lineup, giving the Warriors at least one familiar piece to lean on while they try to navigate life without Curry. [Read more 🡒]
Victor Wembanyama Keeps Giving Spurs Fans More Reasons To Dream
Victor Wembanyama keeps turning Spurs games into a showcase for just how far San Antonios ceiling might rise with him at the center of it. In the NBA Cup matchup against the Golden State Warriors, he filled the box score the way fans have come to expect, contributing points, rebounds, assists and blocks while also helping create one of the nights more memorable plays with a slick assist on a dunk.
The larger takeaway for the Spurs is less about one November game than the steady way Wembanyama keeps stacking proof that he is already driving winning basketball at a star level. With his strong season-long production and his name now firmly in the MVP conversation, every outing feels like another reminder that San Antonio is not just watching a franchise cornerstone develop, but a player capable of changing the teams timeline altogether. [Read more 🡒]