Pelicans To Begin Dejounte Murray Trade Search

The Pelicans will honor the trade request recently demanded by point guard Dejounte Murray, the team said in an official statement.

“Today, Dejounte Murray’s representatives informed us of his request to be traded. We will evaluate potential trade opportunities that are in the best interest of our organization,” the team said (via Twitter).

Murray’s interest in moving to the Suns is well known, though the two sides reportedly have not engaged in trade talks yet, despite the Suns’ struggles when it comes to making the Devin Booker–Jalen Green pairing work at a high level.

Phoenix has a bigger need when it comes to defensive rebounding and shoring up the frontcourt than it does at point guard, Suns reporter John Gambadoro notes (via Twitter), adding that, barring a move for a high-level veteran point guard, Collin Gillespie would likely move into the starting lineup should the team decide to change things up.

Whether Murray would qualify as that veteran lead guard for the team remains to be seen, though team owner Mat Ishbia is friends with Murray’s agent, Rich Paul, who has several other clients on the roster.

For now, the team has won four of its last five games behind Booker’s strong play, and Gambadoro says he expects a Green trade, if it happens, to come later in the season.