Last season, the New Orleans Pelicans faced a ton of criticism for the Dejounte Murray trade, but his return from injury has shown this move was anything but a mistake. If you need a refresher during the 2024 offseason, New Orleans gave up Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks for Murray.
This deal looked like it was going to age poorly for New Orleans immediately, as Murray suffered a season-ending injury 31 games into his tenure, and Dyson Daniels broke out. The Australia guard hit a new level in Atlanta and went on to win the league's Most Improved Player award while also leading the league in steals last season.
But since last season, things have changed. Trae Young is no longer in Atlanta, Dyson Daniels is shooting sub-15 percent from three, and Murray has returned and been exactly what New Orleans needs. At one point, many people thought this deal was aging like Milk for the Pels, but now it's clear it's been aging like a nice bottle of Merlot.
Murray’s return is flipping the narrative of this trade
For a team like the New Orleans Pelicans, having a player who wreaks havoc the way Daniels does from the point of attack would be extremely beneficial. While he isn't generating steals at a 3.1 per game mark like he was last season, he's still regularly getting two+ strips a night. However, as much as the Pelicans would love to have that level of defensive impact, they wouldn't be able to afford another zero as a floor spacer.
This Pelicans team is already in the no man's land part of the league when it comes to almost every three-point statistic, and adding Daniels would only make that problem worse.
Since Murray's return, this team's offensive rating has jumped from the bottom-ten to the top-ten. There isn't a world where Daniels could have that type of impact. The Pelicans always needed a conductor, a floor general, someone to slow the game down and take control, and we have seen in the short time since Murray has been back that he is exactly that.
This trade is a prime example of why it takes time to see the real winners and losers. Sure, Daniels broke out last season, and Murray got hurt, but the NBA is all about consistency, and to this point, New Orleans has got that, Atlanta not so much.
Trades take a while to show their true colors, and soon enough, the same sentiment I just expressed about the Murray-for-Daniels trade may apply to even more recent Hawks-Pelicans trade.