METARIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is expected to make his season debut Tuesday night when the club hosts the Golden State Warriors, marking his first appearance in more than 13 months.
The 29-year-old has been sidelined since tearing his right Achilles tendon on Jan. 31, 2025, against the Boston Celtics. New Orleans acquired Murray before last season in a deal that sent Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and first-round draft picks in 2025 and 2027 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Murray appeared in only 31 games for the Pelicans before the Achilles injury, having already missed time after breaking his left hand in that season’s opening game.
Franchise overhaul during Murray’s absence
While Murray recovered, New Orleans reshaped its organization, replacing the front office, trading longtime franchise cornerstone Brandon Ingram, and dismissing head coach Willie Green. Joe Dumars now leads basketball operations, and interim coach James Borrego is on the sideline. The club, anchored by rookie guard Jeremiah Fears and other young players, sits near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Murray eager to return
“There’s a lot of excuses for a chump to be like, ‘Nah, I ain’t playing,’ and I’m the opposite of that,” Murray said after practice Monday. “I love the game and I put myself in a position to be able to say I want to go out and play for not only my family and organization but also the City of New Orleans. I feel like my best basketball is ahead of me.”
Borrego stopped short of confirming Murray will definitely play Tuesday but praised the veteran’s determination. “I’m not saying that everybody coming off this injury would even play right now,” Borrego noted. “This kid wants to compete. He wants to be out there with his teammates. He wants to win.”
Murray said he enjoys a solid relationship with Dumars and his staff but added that the people in the front office or on the bench do not change the on-court mission. “We’ve got to go out on the floor and play hard, and play the right way,” he said.
Tipoff against Golden State is scheduled for Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Center.
Source: ESPN
