Re-Grading Pelicans' Dejounte Murray Trade 18 Months Later

Dejounte Murray’s trade has backfired: injuries and a poor fit contributed to a 29-92 stretch for the Pelicans. Betting angle: expect New Orleans to be undervalued — consider taking the under on their win total and avoid heavy playoff futures on the Pelicans until Murray’s health and fit are proven.

How the Dejounte Murray Trade Unraveled in New Orleans

The Pelicans entered the 2024 offseason aiming to pair Dejounte Murray with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram and become a Western Conference force. Instead, 18 months later the experiment has cratered: New Orleans is 29-92 since the deal, prompting front-office and coaching changes and questions about long-term strategy.

The Price Paid: Players and Picks Traded Away

New Orleans sent Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and two first-round picks for Murray. The most consequential losses were Daniels and those first-round selections — assets that could have anchored the team’s future depth and defense.

Immediate Return: A Short-Lived Murray Impact and Devastating Injury

Murray played just 31 games in New Orleans before suffering an Achilles rupture in January. When he was on the floor, the Pelicans struggled: a -10.1 net rating and a 9-22 record in games he played. Offensively Murray posted a 27.3% usage rate but just a 49.4% true shooting percentage and 3.4 turnovers per game — numbers that made him a net liability even before the injury.

Dyson Daniels: The Lost Defensive Difference-Maker

Dyson Daniels emerged into a breakout two-way guard after the trade, winning Most Improved Player and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting while averaging roughly three steals per game. Daniels parlayed that burst into a four-year, $100 million contract in 2025 — a clear example of the opportunity cost New Orleans absorbed.

Spacing and Fit: Too Many Ball-Handlers, Not Enough Shooters

The Williamson-Ingram-Murray concept failed on schematic grounds. All three require the ball, none are reliable high-volume three-point shooters, and the roster lacked surrounding floor-spacing beyond Trey Murphy and CJ McCollum. The result was clogged driving lanes, limited offensive ceiling, and a roster construction mismatch that was evident even before Murray’s injury.

Draft-Asset Fallout: The Cost of Two First-Round Picks

One traded pick landed at No. 22 in 2025 and changed hands, while the other is a top-four protected 2027 selection that could still become a lottery asset. Losing those picks reduced the Pelicans’ ability to reload or add complementary pieces via the draft, compounding the damage from the failed fit.

Final Grade: A Risk That Didn’t Pay Off

On talent-for-talent terms, the trade might have been defensible if Murray and the roster clicked. They did not. The fit was never ideal, Daniels’ emergence magnified the loss, and an Achilles injury removed any chance of redemption in the short term. The deal escapes an F only because we never saw a fully healthy trio, but in practice the gamble has been a clear setback for New Orleans.

What This Means for the Pelicans’ Future

The franchise now faces roster and cap decisions while repairing credibility and depth. Rebuilding around Zion or pivoting to a new core will hinge on Murray’s recovery timeline, whether the team can add shooting and a true rim-protecting center, and how the front office manages remaining draft assets. For bettors, the combination of roster uncertainty and injury risk argues for caution on Pelicans’ season and futures markets until the team’s direction becomes clear.

NBA Free Agency Grades: ESPN Gives Atlanta A High Grade For Early Moves

How does the New Orleans Pelicans' trade for Dejounte Murray look like in hindsight?

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Re-Grading Pelicans' Dejounte Murray Trade 18 Months Later

Re-Grading Pelicans' Dejounte Murray Trade 18 Months Later

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