The New Orleans Pelicans kick off their closing stretch of the season Friday night at the Smoothie King Center, and they could seen see the return of a big name in the backcourt.
Pelicans head coach James Borrego said point guard Dejounte Murray has been a full-go in practice and could be back playing in games before the end of February as he returns from an Achilles injury. Murray hasn't played live basketball for the Pelicans since Jan. 31, 2025 when he went down midway through a game against the Celtics. The Pelicans were 12-37 when Murray went down and they finished the season 21-61.
“He’s close," head coach James Borrego said after Thursday's practice. "I’d say in the next week he’s back on the floor playing NBA games, which is amazing.”
Murray was a major trade acquisition for the Pelicans ahead of the 2024-'25 season in a deal that sent Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance and significant draft capital to the Atlanta Hawks. Murray looked like he'd be a perfect fit on a young and developing Pelicans squad, but his time in New Orleans got off to a rough start when he fractured his left hand during a season-opening win over the Bulls.
After working back from the injury, Murray appeared in 31 games with averages of 17.5 points, 7.4 assists and 6.5 rebounds. The veteran point guard's name was rumored as a possible trade candidate ahead of this year's deadline, but nothing materialized. The long-term outlook for Murray and the Pelicans remains unclear -- as is the case for several names on the roster -- but some run down the stretch could make a positive impact on future trade talks if Murray can show that he's fully recovered from the injury.
Regardless of the long-term conversation, when Murray does return he'll add a veteran presence to a Pelicans squad that has scuffled to a 15-41 record with 26 games remaining after the All-Star break, though they have won five of their past 10 games as they continue to develop a pair of impressive rookies in Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
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“Leadership, poise, you know, just his voice, his mentality, the competitive spirit," Borrego said of what he expect's Murray's presence to add, "and then obviously he’s a two-way player. He’s a guy that can defend at a high level. We’ve seen that in the past. He’s obviously going to run the club as a point guard and generate offense for us, so I’m expecting a lot of him.”
Murray won't be in action on Friday when the Pelicans return from the extended break to host the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by another home matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers visiting the Smoothie King Center. The earliest potential return would likely be Tuesday's home matchup with the Golden State Warriors. The Pelicans hit the road after that game for a six game road trip beginning with the Utah Jazz on Thursday.