Dejounte Murray opened the 2025-26 season with a goal in the New Orleans Pelicans' 113-109 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. He appears to be dedicated to helping his team compete for a possible spot in the play-in tournament at the end of the campaign. He said this in some NSFW post on X while refusing to request a trade from New Orleans.
An account on social media claimed the 29-year-old guard requested a trade from the Pelicans before the deadline. Murray saw the post and claimed it was untrue, shutting down the rumors entirely.
"Let's clean the air from the f*** at one source," Murray declared. "I or my agent never requested to be traded out of New Orleans!!! Joe and the entire organization know I was locked in to come back better than ever to help grow this game and build whatever comes next!! It's about having fun!!"
The nine-year veteran doubled down on his play-in tournament claim, and explained to a sports fan that if the Pelicans play hard in the final stretch of the regular season, they could find themselves competing for a playoff spot.
"Oh!!! Are we a contender? No. Can we finish in the top 6? No. Can we build some momentum by playing together and develop winning habits for the rest of the season? Yes. Can we treat every game like a championship game and win, win, win? Yes. Can we finish last in the play-ins??? Duhhh."
Dejounte Murray missed most of the season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in January 2025. In his first game in action, Murray recorded 13 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal. He also shot 45.4% from the floor and 25.0% from beyond the three-point line.
