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A week and a half ago, the New Orleans Pelicans' brass made of the splashier moves of the NBA offseason so far by trading for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray in exchange for a package centered around Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and two first round picks, one of which will be the Los Angeles Lakers' pick this year. Murray was never able to quite put it together in the backcourt with Hawks guard Trae Young over the last two years but remains a talented playmaker for a Pelicans' team that was in desperate need of some shot creation in their playoff sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder this past spring.
Recently, Murray arrived in New Orleans for his introductory press conference with the franchise, and it seems that he couldn't be happier to have taken his talents down south.
“I understand my role in this business. I'm a basketball player…As far as New Orleans, this is home now,” said Murray, via the Pelicans on YouTube (per Don Barzini on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter).
Murray also spoke on Pelicans star power forward Zion Williamson.
“That's our superstar… I'm excited to push him to the next level because he has a bunch of levels he could reach,” said Murray.
Murray still has several years left on a surprisingly team friendly contract that he signed with the Hawks in the 2023 offseason and joins a Pelicans team that was able to keep their core group together in the transaction.
What is the Pelicans' ceiling?
On paper, the Pelicans figure to have one of the more talented squads in a Western Conference playoff picture that is only growing more loaded by the day.
Murray, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and… whoever they choose to start at center is going to be tough for opposing teams to deal with, even if it takes that group a while to mesh and figure out the best way to complement each other's strengths and cover for each other's weaknesses. It should be noted that Ingram's future with the franchise is still a tad murky at the present moment as the two sides don't appear to be any closer on contract negotiations and the star's name has been thrown around the trade rumor mill quite a bit this offseason; however, he remains an elite perimeter scorer and passable defender when healthy and engaged.
Of course, the real question for the Pelicans, as it has been since he was drafted five years ago, is the health of Zion Williamson, who looked to be finally ready to enjoy his first healthy playoff run this past season before hurting himself during the fourth quarter of New Orlean's Play-In loss to the Lakers and subsequently missing their series vs the Thunder as a result.
Without Williamson, the Pelicans are a play-in team at best, especially considering how deep the conference is; however, with him healthy, and now with Murray out there to help take the pressure off of McCollum, the Pelicans could be a true threat out West.
