The New Orleans Pelicans’ major offseason acquisition is set to miss significant time with an injury.
On Wednesday, in the Pelicans’ season opener against the Chicago Bulls, All-Star guard Dejounte Murray suffered a fractured hand.
Murray sustained the injury late in the fourth quarter of the Pelicans’ 123-111 win.
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The 28-year-old attempted a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Pelicans up 12. He was fouled by Zach LaVine, hit the floor, and immediately started holding his left hand. He made two of the three free throws before getting subbed out shortly thereafter. Here’s a video of the play:
“Hopefully, he’s not out too long,” Pelicans guard CJ McCollum said after the game. “He looked at me and said his hand didn’t feel right. He just continued to play. … He battled through, he played and played well considering those circumstances.”
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 10: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives around Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on March 10, 2024 in… ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 10: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives around Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on March 10, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Murray joins Williamson on the sidelines for New Orleans.
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, tests confirmed a fractured hand, which will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future. Murray had 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds in his Pelicans debut.
New Orleans acquired Murray this offseason in a blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Hawks. The Pelicans gave up Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks for Murray.
The Hawks wanted to move on from Murray after they unsuccessfully paired him with Trae Young for two seasons. As for the Pelicans, they added another piece to a stacked roster that was set to contend in a seemingly open Western Conference.
However, Murray will now miss significant time, which is a huge blow for New Orleans.
The Pelicans were able to start the season 1-0 playing without two key players in forwards Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III. Williamson was ruled out before the game due to an illness, while Murphy is dealing with a right hamstring strain.
The Pelicans rewarded Murphy with a four-year, $112 million extension earlier this week just before the start of the season. The hope is that he won’t have to miss too much of the season, especially now that Murray will be out for extended time.
The Pelicans’ next game is Friday night against the 0-1 Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers were blown out by the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
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