When Zion Williamson has missed time the past two seasons, the New Orleans Pelicans’ offense has been alarmingly bad.
In 2023, a right hamstring strain sidelined Williamson for the final 45 games of the season. The Pelicans were the NBA’s sixth-worst offense in that stretch.
In April, the Pelicans were forced to play their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Williamson, who this time was out with a left hamstring tweak. New Orleans never scored more than 92 points in any of the four games and submitted what was statistically one of the worst offensive performances from a playoff team in the past decade.
More than anything, the Pelicans needed to add an offensive creator to their roster this summer. They got one Friday. The Pelicans sent Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell and two first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks for Dejounte Murray.
Murray arrives in New Orleans after spending two seasons in Atlanta, where he shared a backcourt with a high-usage guard in Trae Young. Murray’s role with the Pelicans will be more similar to how he operated in his time with the San Antonio Spurs — not as a Hawk. He will initiate possessions. His task is to strike the right balance between scoring and setting up Williamson, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy and other teammates.
In his final season with the Spurs in 2021-22, Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.0 steals. His impressive all-around season earned him an All-Star nod, but the Spurs still chose to trade him to the Hawks that summer for two unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap.
The Hawks never finished with a winning record in the two seasons Young and Murray overlapped. Murray, league sources said, was ready for a change of scenery. He expressed his enthusiasm for New Orleans on social media Friday night.
NOLA 😎
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) June 29, 2024
#504
The Murray acquisition means the Pelicans’ days of a point-guard-by-committe approach are over. Murray will assume that role. The 27-year-old is owed $90.9 million over the next three seasons, a reasonable number for a one-time All-Star just entering his prime years.
The 6-foot-5 Murray is big enough to start alongside the 6-foot-3 McCollum. There could also be consideration to bringing McCollum off the bench.
On Wednesday, executive vice president David Griffin vowed that the Pelicans would be aggressive this summer. Two days later, the team acquired Murray. There are still several important decisions to be made. Brandon Ingram and Murphy are both eligible for contract extensions. Awarding each of them nine-figure deals would make the Pelicans’ roster incredibly expensive longterm.
In May, The Times-Picayune reported that the Pelicans were willing to offer Ingram an extension but not at his maximum value, which is $208 million over four years. There remains a world in which Ingram is back next season in New Orleans, but the expectation from many league insiders The Times-Picayune spoke to is that Ingram will be moved in the next few weeks.
Right now, the Pelicans have 10 players under contract. Assuming that the team guarantees Matt Ryan’s $2.2 million option, the Pelicans are $4.7 million below the NBA luxury tax line while still needing to add three players to guaranteed roster spots.
New Orleans’ biggest need is a starting center. It’s possible the Pelicans move Ingram to address that hole. The Pelicans would love to add Jarrett Allen, a low-maintenance rim protector and lob threat who is on a team-friendly contract. It’s unclear if the Cavaliers are willing to part with him. Cleveland president of basketball operations Koby Altman said he didn’t “envision breaking up” his core group of players a few weeks ago.
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler is a younger, cheaper option who NBA personnel have mentioned. Kessler has averaged 2.4 blocks per game in his two NBA seasons. He is owed just $3 million this upcoming season. So far, there has been no real traction on a deal that could bring him to New Orleans, league sources said.
The Pelicans addressed one of their needs by dealing for Murray on Friday. Yet their roster feels far from complete. They have been on the hunt for a rim-protecting center for more than a year. Expect them to keep searching for one.