Dejounte Murray asks Pelicans for trade after deleted social media posts
The New Orleans guard's representatives informed the club on Friday, a day after he criticised those questioning his play in posts he later removed.
Dejounte Murray has asked the New Orleans Pelicans to trade him, the club announced on Friday. According to CBS Sports, the request came a day after the guard defended himself in social media posts that he later deleted.
"Today, Dejounte Murray's representatives informed us of his request to be traded."
The Pelicans said in their statement that they will evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of the organisation.
What sparked the request
New Orleans had lost 145-111 to the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the week, their fourth consecutive defeat. ProPelsTalk, a Pelicans podcast, posted clips highlighting what CBS Sports described as purported mistakes by Murray in that game.
Murray responded in a tweet, since deleted, saying the critics had no idea what the team was dealing with. In another deleted post, he wrote that the 'sabotage' was real. He finished the Nets loss with five points, four assists and two rebounds in 28 minutes.
CBS Sports also reports that Murray retweeted Shams Charania's post about his trade request, a move it says would seemingly open him up to a fine for publicly requesting a trade.
Season and background
Murray is averaging 13.4 points this season, the lowest since his third year in the league with the San Antonio Spurs. In one of his now-deleted tweets, he noted that the Pelicans are 1-8 with him and 3-0 without him.
He appeared in only 14 games in 2025-26 after recovering from a torn Achilles that sidelined him for more than a year. In 2025 he told The Pivot Podcast he was not getting what he needed from the organisation, including training time and court time.
Murray, 30, is in the final guaranteed season of his contract. He has a player option worth $30.7 million for 2027-28.
Where could he go?
The Phoenix Suns have registered interest, according to Chris Haynes, as reported by CBS Sports. Phoenix started the season 1-5 but has since won four of its last five games. No talks have been confirmed.
CBS Sports believes Murray's trade value is likely minimal and that any deal would probably involve a similarly large, multi-year contract going the other way. The Athletic's Sam Amick said on Thursday he would expect "very legitimate conversations" about Murray being moved, adding that the mood could accelerate it.
Would you take a chance on Murray at his current price?
