Just over a year after he suffered a torn Achilles, New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is ready to return.
Murray, 29, is listed as available on the NBA injury report for Tuesday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors. The nine-year veteran ruptured his Achilles on Jan. 31, 2025, sustaining the injury on a non-contact play versus the Boston Celtics during which he lunged for the ball then immediately fell to the court.
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Murray was in his first season with New Orleans after being acquired from the Atlanta Hawks for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and two first-round picks. He also missed 17 games with a broken hand earlier in the season, limiting him to 31 games overall.
The Pelicans are slogging through a season that has them second-to-last in the Western Conference (and fourth-worst in the NBA) at 16-42. With 24 games remaining, some might question Murray returning. But tanking doesn’t serve much purpose for the Pelicans after trading this year’s first-round selection to the Hawks to move up to select Derik Queen.
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Murray also wants to see some game action after being sidelined for more than a year.
“I’m here, I love New Orleans, I love the people. This is the reason I’m coming back,” Murray said to Pelicans Film Room on Monday.
“I’m not one of those guys like, I’m paid, I could get an extra 6-7 months, or our team is 14th in the West,'” he added. “There are a lot of excuses for a chump to say, ‘No, I ain’t playing.’ I am the opposite of that.”
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Murray will likely be on a minutes restriction as he works his way back. Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego didn’t say for certain how much Murray might play, but praised him for wanting to get on the court.
“It speaks to his character, that he cares,” Borrego said, via the Associated Press. “I’m not saying that everybody coming off this injury would even play right now. This kid wants to play. He wants to be out there on the floor. He wants to compete. He wants to be out there with his teammates. He wants to win.”
During his eight NBA seasons, Murray has averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Hawks and Pelicans. He missed the entire 2018-19 season with a torn ACL sustained during the preseason.