The New Orleans Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray earlier than the season in hopes he may get their workforce over the playoff hump. As a substitute, he is been the unluckiest participant in a season stuffed with terrible damage luck.
Throughout a 118-116 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday evening, Murray suffered a torn Achilles, per a number of studies, whereas making an attempt to rebound his personal missed shot. He left the court docket and was later recognized with the damage, which is able to preserve him out for the remainder of this season and virtually definitely a big portion of 2025-26.
The Pelicans traded three gamers and two first-round picks so as to add Murray to their core of Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, however that plan acquired derailed on opening evening when Murray fractured his hand. Ingram has performed solely 18 video games this season, Williamson solely 13, and the trio of Murray, Williamson and Ingram did not play collectively as soon as all season.
Regardless of lacking so many gamers, the Pelicans took the Celtics all the way down to the wire, with Boston escaping solely after a Jayson Tatum game-winner with 0.2 seconds left.
The sport was one other heartbreaking glimpse of what may have been in a wholesome season for New Orleans. They acquired 40 factors from Murphy and a stable 13-rebound outing from rookie Yves Missi. Nonetheless, the Pels fell to 12-37, with their fast plans prone to revolve round getting underneath the posh tax.
This was imagined to be the 12 months when the Pelicans acquired out of the primary spherical of the playoffs. The one place they’ve ended up going was the coach’s room.
