NBA star Dejounte Murray requests trade after Pelicans clash, public frustration spills onto social media

The apparently strained relationship between Dejounte Murray and the New Orleans Pelicans took another turn Friday.

Representatives for the All-Star guard at Klutch Sports requested a trade, prompting the team to say it would evaluate potential opportunities. "Today, Dejounte Murray’s representatives informed us of his request to be traded," the Pelicans said in a statement. "We will evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of our organization."

Murray, 30, was ruled out Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies due to a left ankle sprain. Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley said Murray was not at Smoothie King Center.

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"He’s not in the building, from what I’ve been told," Mosley said.

The Pelicans acquired Murray in a June 2024 trade with the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for two first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell.

David Griffin, then serving as the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, viewed Murray as a defender and playmaker who could provide ball-handling help for Zion Williamson, but he never approached the play that had earned him All-Star honors in 2022.

DEJOUNTE MURRAY ACCUSES NEW ORLEANS PELICANS OF INSIDE 'SABOTAGE' IN DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Murray’s tenure with the Pelicans was dogged by injuries. He broke his hand in the 2024 season opener and then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in January 2025.

Over the last three seasons, Murray has played just 54 games with New Orleans, averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds. The Pelicans have gone 1-8 with him in the lineup.

Murray's salary is reportedly $32.8 million this season. He has a player option for $30.8 million next season. He recently made his frustrations with the team clear through several critical social media posts.

After one social media reporter mentioned the Pelicans were 3-0 without him in the lineup, Murray wrote back: "From what’s going on INSIDE, this sounds like someone hit you to say this! THE ‘SABOTAGE’ IS REAL!"

The tweet was deleted shortly after.

The timing of Murray’s trade request drew some scrutiny, as it surfaced while the Pelicans were on a four-game losing streak. Nevertheless, Mosley said his focus remained on the players available to him and maintaining the team’s standards.

"How well we play is very important to me, and making sure that we keep up that standard," Mosley said. "That’s why it’s so glaring when we don’t, because I know what this team has shown during training camp, what it has shown during the preseason."

Mosley also said the Pelicans need to return to the style of play they showed earlier this season.

"The first couple games didn’t go on the win column, but the way we played, we did a lot of good things. … As the leader of this group, how we’ve been playing these last three games have not been a representation of this organization, the city, of the way we said we were going to play. That’s been my focus over this last day or so. How do we get back to that style of basketball that we know represents this organization the right way?"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.