The Atlanta Hawks are back in the playoffs, and it seems like the organization has new life. However, one of the guys who was a big part of Atlanta’s last era of basketball may see his time with his new team come to an end very soon. Because according to Chris Lambert of The Pelican Debrief, Dejounte Murray’s time in New Orleans should come to an end this summer.
Murray was traded from Atlanta to New Orleans in the summer of 2024. Atlanta sent out Murray and got back Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., EJ Liddell, Cody Zeller, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick. Needless to say, the deal was a big win for the Hawks.
And now, it looks like Murray may already be looking for a new team after just two years in New Orleans.
Dejounte Murray's time with Pelicans may be coming to an end
Murray caught a bad break last season. He tore his Achilles at the end of January last year, and he didn’t return for the Pelicans until the end of February this season.
He missed just over a year of action, all the while, the Pelicans failed to compete in the West, and are now staring down a new rebuilding era in New Orleans.
When the Pelicans traded for Murray, they were likely hoping that he could be a nice role player alongside the likes of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy III.
Now, Ingram is a member of the Toronto Raptors, and the Pelicans may end up having to trade both Williamson and Murray this summer. Or, at the very least, they should consider trading them.
Murray has played decently well since returning from his Achilles injury this year. In his 14 games (all starts) since returning, he played 27.8 minutes per contest.
He averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.4% from the floor and 30.6% from beyond the arc on 4.4 three-point attempts per contest.
Pretty good numbers for a guy just getting back from an Achilles injury. However, for a Pelicans team that likely won’t be competing for a postseason spot anytime soon, Murray probably won’t be super helpful.
It would be more useful for the Pelicans to trade Murray in exchange for valuable assets this summer, thus ending the former Hawks guard’s time in New Orleans.
And, for what it’s worth, if the Pelicans do trade Murray, it will only cement the Hawks trade as a massive win for Atlanta.