THE The New Orleans Pelicans made a big move in the off-season when they traded for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray.

Murray is exactly the kind of player the Pelicans needed. He can score at a high level, create for his teammates, defend and assume a leadership role. He is expected to come in and fit in perfectly.

Another big trade was expected this offseason, but it has yet to happen. Brandon Ingram was expected to eventually be traded. However, at this point, he is still with the team.

That being said, Murray’s presence should help New Orleans take the next step as a Western Conference title contender. He has the potential to come in and produce big numbers.

RotoWire took a look at Murray for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season. They offered some big projections for the star point guard.

According to their projections, Murray would end up averaging 19.4 points per game, along with 6.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Those numbers would be exactly the type of production they were hoping for when they decided to trade him.

During the 2023-24 NBA season with the Hawks, Murray averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He showed last year that he could end up exceeding the above projections.

Murray will also look to help Zion Williamson reach his full potential.

Looking at the roster, a lineup of Murray, Williamson, Ingram and CJ McCollum should be deadly. If they decide to keep Ingram, they’ll have enough stars to compete with the West’s elite.

At 27, Murray also offers the Pelicans some great promise for the future. He has four years left on his contract, including the 2024-25 season, but he has a player option on the fourth season of his contract.

This will make him one of the key building blocks for New Orleans. He will have the chance to form a deadly shooting guard-forward duo with Williamson to lead the Pelicans in the long run. Hopefully that happens and the trade goes the way the franchise envisions.

That being said, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming season plays out. Murray has potential, but the team will have to come together and live up to the hype.

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