Dejounte Murray

Joe Dumars Unfazed By Criticism Of Controversial Moves

July 15th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans’ new executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars has already made a number of eye-opening moves. He gave up CJ McCollum in a trade with the Wizards that brought Jordan Poole to New Orleans. He also traded up in the draft, giving up an unprotected 2026 pick in the process, to nab Maryland big man Derik Queen at the No. 13 spot.

Dumars took heat for those decisions, especially the latter. He told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears in an Andscape interview he doesn’t care about the backlash.

“I don’t mind the criticism. People say they don’t mind. But I really don’t mind,” Dumars said. “When you’re running a franchise, you make a determination of what you think you need to start growing your franchise. The opportunity presented itself that we could get two lottery picks, and to do that, you’re going to have to give up something. We gave up what we thought it would take to get these two lottery picks and we did.”

Dumars chose to return to his home state and take on the task of running a Pelicans franchise stuck in mediocrity. Dumars declined the vice president of basketball operations jobs with the Kings and Suns, according to Spears, but felt the New Orleans offer was “right place, right time, right people.”

Dumars addressed a wide range of topics in the interview. Here’s some of the highlights:

On the Poole acquisition:

“If you look around the league now, it’s almost a requirement to have high-level guard play, dynamic guard play. Jordan has a skillset that matches the most dynamic guards in this league. We’ve also seen him be a part of a championship team and contribute at a high level. So, with his skill set, he’s a dynamic guard and I know we have proof that he’s helped teams win championships.”

On how he approached the roster after taking the job:

“I felt the core guys like Zion (Williamson), Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray, I thought that was a really good group of guys all around the age of 25 years old. I looked at it from there and said, ‘OK, we need to build out and how do we complement each other?’ I thought the core was really good there and I thought if you have a good core, let’s build out around that core with the type of players that we need.

“And I thought Jordan Poole was a dynamic guard. I thought that Saddiq Bey was the perfect guy to come off the bench and add depth to your team. I thought that (free agent acquisition Kevon) Looney was the perfect guy for a team full of guys who were 25, 26 years old.”

On his relationship with Williamson:

“He and I have had some incredible conversations. We are in constant contact with each other. I’ve talked to him about the responsibility of being great and the responsibility of being a leader, of being a captain, of being the best player, of being the face of a franchise. I’ve talked to him about how all of those things come with responsibility and how it’s time now at 25 years old to embrace those responsibilities.”

On why he left his job with the league office to become a team executive again:

“I loved my job at the NBA. I didn’t like it. I loved it. And I always said it would have to take something special for me to leave, otherwise I wouldn’t. And so, this was what I considered special to be able to come back, run the Pelicans in New Orleans with quite frankly a lot of people I knew in the organization and outside the organization. That’s what made it special for me to say that I would leave the NBA and take this job because I really enjoyed working at the league office.”

Pelicans Notes: Dumars, Fears, Queen, Murray, Size

June 26th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has been very active, making three trades over the last nine days. He wound up with two lottery picks after moving the No. 23 pick and next year’s first-rounder to the Hawks for the No. 13 selection, with which he chose Maryland big man Derik Queen. Earlier, at the No. 7 spot, he chose Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears.

Prior to the draft, Dumars agreed to deal CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to the Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft.

“It’s the only way I’ve ever had success in this league. I’ve been around aggressive teams my entire life,” Dumars said on Wednesday, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. “We’re going to be an aggressive team. We’re going to be an aggressive front office.”

Dumars explained why he selected Fears, who struggled with his long-range shooting in his lone college season at Oklahoma.

“I like his skill set. The ability to get anywhere on the court like that is a unique ability,” Dumars said. “If you’re going to be a really, really good team, you have to have guys who can compromise the other team’s defense. … When you do that, you’ve got a chance.”

As for moving up to take Queen, Dumars indicated he was pursuing trades to go up and get the Maryland standout as early as the No. 9 pick.

“I put his IQ for the game up against anybody in this draft. This is a super, super high-IQ guy,” Dumars said. “He finds people. He has the mentality of a guard. He’ll push it up. He’s just got unique skills for a 6-10 big.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Some draft pundits are questioning the fit of Queen with Zion Williamson, but the rookie is intent to show that Dumars made a wise decision, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “It shows how much they wanted me and how much they believe in me,” Queen said. “I’m just ready to show them they got their money’s worth and ready to put on for the Pelicans.”
Dejounte Murray is looking forward to blending his talents with the new additions. Dumars spoke with the combo guard on Wednesday and Murray requested the phone numbers of the newcomers, leading Dumars to describe Murray as “all in,” Guillory tweets. Dumars has also addressed with Murray some of the concerns the veteran guard expressed about his first season with the franchise during a recent podcast. Murray called it his “worst experience in the NBA,” not only because of his injuries issues – a broken hand and a torn Achilles – but numerous personal problems. He felt that he didn’t get the sort of support he needed from the previous regime. “The organization, it got bad, man,” he said. “As you guys can see, such and such got fired, another guy left, they brought new people in.”
The addition of Queen addresses at least part of the concerns raised by the trade of Olynyk, as it left the Pelicans thin in the frontcourt. Guillory noted prior to the draft (Twitter link) that Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic were the only centers remaining on the roster.

Southwest Notes: Murray, Edey, Flagg, Mavs, Hooper

June 20th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Pivot Podcast (YouTube link) this week, Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray said he has “nothing but love” for the city of New Orleans but that the last year was his “worst experience in the NBA,” as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays.

In addition to sustaining two major injuries – a broken hand and a torn Achilles – Murray dealt with a series of tragedies in his personal life, including the death of a cousin, his mother suffering a stroke, and an uncle overdosing. He also felt that he wasn’t getting the sort of support he needed from the Pelicans.

“The organization, it got bad, man,” he said. “As you guys can see, such and such got fired, another guy left, they brought new people in.”

Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin was let go at the end of the season, while general manager Bryson Graham left New Orleans to take a job in the Hawks’ front office.

“I’m stressed, I’m mad everyday, I’m sad, I’m angry, I don’t want to be there at that time. It’s just so much going on,” Murray said, describing his mental state during the season. “… It wasn’t just me, it was everybody’s mental. Every player. I hope this brings peace to my brothers. I hope everyone gets what they need. I hope the organization gets it together because you have the talent, but it ain’t just the talent. You need every dot to connect to have a chance to win.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Grizzlies center Zach Edey will have an initial hearing on Monday for a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, according to Ron Wilkins of the Lafayette Journal & Courier. As Wilkins reports, Indiana police say that stopped Edey on May 1 after he was driving 101 mph in a 55-mph zone. He told the state trooper who pulled him over that he was speeding because he was trying to pass another vehicle.
Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscriber link) takes an inside look at Cooper Flagg‘s visit to Dallas this week, which included a Tuesday dinner with general manager Nico Harrison, head coach Jason Kidd, CEO Rick Welts, assistant GM Michael Finley, and other Mavericks staffers. According to Curtis, Flagg’s visit also included meetings with members of the Mavs’ business operations department, a tour of the team’s facilities, and a standard workout that included situational reads and shooting drills. He reportedly shot the ball “insanely well” during that workout, a league source tells Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.
With Flagg set to join the Mavericks next Wednesday as the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Chris Mannix takes an in-depth look at the star prospect in a cover story for Sports Illustrated.
The Mavericks plan to name Max Hooper as the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link). Hooper, the head video coordinator in Dallas, will replace Jordan Sears, who is expected to move back to the Mavs’ coaching staff after coaching the Legends for the past two seasons, Stein explains.

Pelicans’ Joe Dumars Talks Injuries, Goals, Roster

June 6th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

When Joe Dumars was introduced as the Pelicans‘ new executive vice president of basketball operations in April, he spoke about wanting to “find out what’s happening” with the team’s injury situation, given the series of health issues that have plagued the team in recent years.

In an interview this week with Rod Walker of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Dumars was asked what he has learned on that subject since joining the franchise. According to the new head of New Orleans’ front office, some of those injuries were “flukes,” but he’s hopeful that in some instances there are things the team can improve in order to reduce a player’s injury risk.

“We’ve went back over every one of the injuries that happened to every player here and tried to decipher and find out which ones were flukes and which one of these could have been internal that we could have done better,” Dumars said. “We’ve assessed every single injury to every single player. What could we have done better? Is there something we could have done better?

“We are continuing to have those conversations because these guys are in rehab now. So we’re meeting every week on the rehab that’s going on. Are we on top of this? When are we sending somebody to see this guy? It’s real comprehensive what we’re doing as far as medicals because what’s been shown is if this team is healthy, it’s a team that can compete. So that becomes critical to make sure we are doing everything we can to put the healthiest team out there on the floor.”

Dumars’ remarks about players being “in rehab” are presumably a reference to guys like Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy. Murray is coming off a torn Achilles, while Jones and Murphy are recovering from shoulder surgeries. Dumars said there was “nothing to report” on the trio, per Walker, adding that all three are on schedule in their recovery timelines.

Kelly Olynyk and Brandon Boston are among the other Pelicans players who have undergone surgical procedures in recent months.

As we relayed earlier this week, Dumars expressed to Walker that Zion Williamson remains in the Pelicans’ plans going forward and also spoke about head coach Willie Green. Here are a few more highlights from the veteran executive’s conversation with the Times-Picayune:

On Dumars’ goals for the Pelicans:

“We want to win. We want to be a team that’s viewed around the NBA not only as a winning team, but we want to also be viewed as a first-class organization. … That’s about how you come in every day and do things and how you go about your work every day. How you treat people. How we do things here in this building. All of that is important.

“… I’m really here to bring a certain style of play. We’re not really looking at it as trying to compare it to what has gone on here prior to us. We’re coming in expecting to win. We are here to raise the bar. We’re not here to be happy with mediocrity.”

On how he views the current roster:

“We have some good talent on the roster. When this team has been healthy, it’s been a formidable team. Unfortunately, last year it was just decimated with injuries and I acknowledge that. But that doesn’t stop you from setting the bar higher and pushing harder to be better. I don’t think we can be satisfied with what happened two years ago when the team had success. I don’t think you can look at that and say, ‘OK, we can see what we can be.’ You have to push past that. You can’t just aspire to be that. You have to set the goal higher than that and that’s what we intend to do. We intend to push for this team to try to max out because there is some good talent on this roster.”

On his belief that the “best teams reflect their city”:

“I think the Bulls reflected Chicago. The Showtime Lakers reflected L.A. The Bad Boys reflected Detroit. The Indiana Pacers reflect Indianapolis and OKC reflect Oklahoma City. With your best teams, there is a connection between the city and the style of play. The fans look at it and say, ‘Yeah, that represents us.’

“That is what I hope people see when we play. I want them to see that we represent New Orleans. I’m from Louisiana, so I have a feel for the resilience and I know people aren’t quitting here. That’s just not the personality of the city. So I think it’s important that your team reflects that. Fans should be able to look at the team and say, ‘They absolutely are playing and representing what we stand for.'”

Southeast Notes: Jaquez, Hawks, Murray, Hunter, Joseph

May 8th, 2025 at 10:14pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Heat second-year wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. had a strong debut season in 2023/24, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, but he followed up that successful campaign with a quieter year. He finished the ’24/25 campaign averaging 8.6 points per game (down from 11.9 last season) and was out of the rotation at times.

“It was an extremely humbling experience,” Jaquez said during his exit interview, per Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, and sometimes only after do you realize why that had happened to you.”

Jaquez’s efficiency took a slight hit in his second season and he wound up playing a reduced role, even falling out of the rotation during the second half.

“Clearly has to work on some things, which he will,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’ll work on defending in open space, defending situationally in our system, outside shooting will be key again, but he was working on that last summer. I think a full summer again, I think you’ll see big progress. He was coming out of training camp shooting the ball great. So I think we can fast track that.

“And, then, ultimately the hardest one is decision making. Schemes have changed against him. He has to be aggressive, but now there’s going to be different schemes and you graduate to different levels to this. And when there’s a second defender, making the right read and finding open guys, when he’s in a crowd.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hawks are already seeing the rewards of the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans, Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Dyson Daniels came away with the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after establishing himself as one of the league’s premier defenders. In addition to acquiring a new long-term building block, they added a veteran leader in Larry Nance Jr. in that same trade, along with two first-round picks.
Atlanta sending De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland at the deadline looks like a win-win for the Hawks and Cavaliers, Williams writes in another story. Although he’s dealing with an injury now, Hunter quickly established himself as a crucial bench piece for the Cavs, while the Hawks obtained cap flexibility by acquiring an expiring contract in Caris LeVert and moving off the $48.2MM in guaranteed money that Hunter is due over the next two years.
Cory Joseph said during his exit interview that this past season with Orlando was his favorite of his career, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The 33-year-old was brought in to primarily serve as a veteran mentor, but ended up becoming the Magic‘s starting point guard by the end of the year after the team dealt with injuries. “Being able to come here and feel like it was a perfect fit for me, in terms of where the team was and where I was … I really enjoyed my time this season being here,” Joseph said. The Magic hold a team option worth $3.4MM on Joseph for 2025/26. He expressed interest in returning to Orlando for his 15th season, per Beede.

Impact Of Pelicans’ Injury Woes Could Carry Over To 2025/26

March 19th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Health issues derailed the Pelicans‘ 2024/25 season almost before it began. Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson weren’t available when the season tipped off, top offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray broke his hand on opening night, and it only got worse from there, with injuries eventually affecting virtually every starter and rotation player on the roster.

Through 69 games, only one player – rookie Yves Missi – has made more than 53 total appearances for the Pelicans (Missi has made 64).

New Orleans’ division rivals in Memphis are proving that a would-be contender devastated by injuries in one season can get back on track with better health luck the following year. After winning 50+ plus games in back-to-back seasons, the Grizzlies were hit hard by injuries in 2023/24 and won just 27 games. This year, they’re on pace to exceed 50 wins again.

A bounce-back season in 2025/26 is obviously the hope in New Orleans, where the club appeared to be on the rise after winning 49 games in 2023/24. But there’s a chance that the team’s injury woes this year will have an impact on the ’25/26 team, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

In fact, that’s a near certainty in the case of Murray, who tore his Achilles tendon in late January. The expectation is that the veteran guard will miss time to open next season — Guillory hears from team sources that Murray may not be back on the floor until sometime after the calendar turns to 2026.

According to Guillory, there have also been some “rumblings” about the possibility that forward Herbert Jones, who underwent shoulder surgery last month, won’t be ready for the start of the 2025/26 campaign. That’s still to be determined. Jones’ return date will depend on how his rehab progresses this offseason, Guillory writes.

The Pelicans announced this week that Murphy has suffered a season-ending shoulder injury of his own. He was diagnosed with a torn labrum and a partial tear of the rotator cuff.

Murphy’s recovery timeline remains unclear and figures to hinge on how severe his injury is determined to be and whether or not it requires surgery, says Guillory. It’s not a lock that the fourth-year wing will be back to 100% by training camp.

The Pelicans still “strongly believe” in their core of Williamson, Murray, Murphy, and Jones, according to Guillory, but even if the front office keeps that group together through the summer, it may be quite a while before that quartet is on the court together.

Southwest Notes: Fox, Mavericks, Gafford, Murphy, Murray

February 5th, 2025 at 5:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hours before making his Spurs debut tonight in Atlanta, De’Aaron Fox already seemed comfortable with his new team, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. San Antonio was Fox’s preferred destination when he informed the Kings that he wasn’t interested in extending his contract beyond 2026. At this morning’s shootaround, Fox talked about the chance to team up with Victor Wembanyama and join an organization loaded with young talent.

“It’s a very unique opportunity,” he said. “Not many guys come around like that. And I think it’s not just him, but everybody else. With the way they’re built, with the athleticism, with the length that they have and also the youth, I just felt like this could be a special team. I felt like the fit would be spectacular, and I feel like I have a lot of years left to play. Some people say you kind of expedited [San Antonio’s development] process. But you look at a team like [Oklahoma City], where outside of Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) and I think outside of (Alex Caruso), everybody else is pretty much on a rookie contract. I feel like we can do the same thing.”

Fox will now be an important part of that equation. He received a text from a member of the Spurs’ organization on Monday talking about the need to overcome “dry spells” as the team’s offense bogged down during a loss to Memphis. Fox is regularly one of the league’s best crunch-time scorers, which will be a welcome addition to a San Antonio team that’s just 9-11 in clutch games this season.

“Excited to see what it looks like,” new teammate Chris Paul said. “I’ve known Fox for a while. To get a chance to play alongside him, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks are offering refunds to angry fans who canceled their season tickets over the Luka Doncic trade, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Several fans staged a protest Sunday outside American Airlines Center, with some holding up signs criticizing general manager Nico Harrison.
Mavericks center Daniel Gafford was able to practice today after hurting his shoulder in Tuesday’s game at Philadelphia, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’m fine. It was just obviously a scare,” he told Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “It was probably one of the worst stingers that I’ve had coming down this stretch. But it’s OK. Kind of like a shooting pain down my arm last night so it scared me because I didn’t want it to be more of a major injury than what I was expecting. It was just a regular old stinger, so I’ll be fine.”
Trey Murphy has become the second player in Pelicans history to reach 40 points in two straight games, notes Rod Walker of NOLA. He scored 24 points in the third quarter Monday night, which ties a franchise record for most points in a quarter.
Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray posted a photo from his hospital bed after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles tendon (Twitter link). “Thank you God for a successful surgery,” Murray wrote. “Road to recovery starts now.”

Southwest Notes: Exum, Davis, Murray, Paul, Wembanyama

February 3rd, 2025 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The shocking trade of Luka Doncic over the weekend overshadowed Dante Exum‘s return to action for the Mavericks. Exum underwent wrist surgery during training camp and returned to action at Detroit on Friday, receiving 14 minutes of court time. With the Mavericks shorthanded on Sunday at Cleveland, Exum played 21 minutes and contributed 14 points and three assists.

“It’s been a long road,” Exum told Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs. Just the work to get back to this point, it’s been a lot. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win (Friday). That would’ve been a nice icing on the cake. There’s still a lot of work to do. I got a lot of work to do. Hopefully, I can get back to my normal self as quick as possible.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Regarding the blockbuster trade, Exum believes the Mavericks can be a dynamic defensive team with the addition of Anthony Davis. Exum made his comments after Dallas was blown out by Cleveland on Sunday. “The best thing about AD – look at (Sunday), how (the Cavs) play two bigs,” Exum told Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “It’s a perfect example of how we can be – a defensive-minded team. And AD brings a lot of offense, a lot of rim protection, rebounding, everything. It’s going to be fun to jell and figure out how we’re going to be successful. I think we have all the potential in the world. AD has been saying for a while that he wants to play the four. He’s going to have two centers in and out behind him and P.J. (Washington) goes to his natural position at the three. Just looking at that, it makes it a tough frontcourt.”
Dejounte Murray‘s season-ending injury was just the latest setback for the snake-bit Pelicans. Murray tore his Achilles tendon on Friday. Murray had already missed 17 games with a broken hand in his first season with New Orleans after being traded from Atlanta. “It’s difficult to watch and see him go down knowing all he’s been through so far,” coach Willie Green said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Green has started 25 different lineups in the team’s first 49 games due to a rash of injuries.
The Spurs’ Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama will team up in the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. Wembanyama also participated in the competition last season.

Dejounte Murray Suffers Torn Achilles Tendon

February 1st, 2025 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 1: The Pelicans have formally confirmed that Murray has a right Achilles tear and will miss the rest of the season (Twitter link).

JANUARY 31: Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray has torn his right Achilles tendon, ending his 2024/25 season, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Murray suffered the injury in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Boston. After driving to the basket and attempting a floater, Murray landed awkwardly and fell to the floor without being hit, grabbing the back of his right leg (Twitter video link). At the next stoppage in play, he limped off the court and into the locker room.

The Pelicans have yet to officially confirm the diagnosis. Head coach Willie Green told reporters after the game that Murray would undergo imaging and the team would provide an update after seeing the results (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape). However, Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) has also heard that it’s an Achilles tear for the New Orleans guard.

It has been a nightmarish first year as a Pelican for Murray, who was acquired by the club in an offseason trade with Atlanta. As William Guillory of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), the 28-year-old left the team right before the start of the season when his mother suffered a stroke, then broke his left hand in the first game of the regular season.

Murray returned after an 18-game absence following his hand fracture, but his shooting percentage of 39.3% from the field through 30 games entering Friday was easily a career low, and the Pelicans – plagued all season by injuries affecting several starters and rotation players – are off to a 12-37 start.

While this season is a lost cause in New Orleans, there’s also no guarantee Murray will be ready for the start of the 2025/26 campaign, given the typical recovery timeline for an Achilles tear. He has two more guaranteed seasons left on his contract after this season, with a player option for 2027/28.

With Murray unavailable for the rest of the season, the Pelicans figure to lean more heavily on CJ McCollum for ball-handling duties, with reserve guard Jose Alvarado also playing a more substantial role. Alvarado took Murray’s place in the lineup to open the second half on Friday.

New Orleans won’t be eligible to apply for a disabled player exception to replace Murray, since the deadline to apply for a DPE passed on January 15.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Grizzlies, Whitmore, Murray

January 25th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was overcome with gratitude after getting to play two games in Paris, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. San Antonio split the series with Indiana, losing big on Saturday after a convincing win on Thursday, but the overall experience outshined the results for the 21-year-old French native.

“I just want to underline that this week was amazing,” Wembanyama said as he fought back tears during a post-game session with the media. “Everybody did their job to make this week incredible. All of this contributes to making our sport better and making me happy.”

Wembanyama did his best to entertain the French fans, posting 20 points and 12 rebounds today after racking up 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five blocks on Thursday. He also got to share some tourist sites in Paris with his teammates. It may be a while before it happens again, as Vardon hears from league sources that the NBA is considering other cities for its European games next season.

“I’m sure at some point he’ll look back on this and realize what a treat it was,” Chris Paul said. “We wish we could have won both games for him, but you guys are going to be lucky for a long time to be able to follow Vic. So you guys make sure you not only take care of him, but treasure him.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Memphis has been mentioned as the one city that Heat forward Jimmy Butler doesn’t want to get traded to, but Grizzlies players don’t feel slighted if that’s true, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. The players who talked to Cole said they enjoy playing in Memphis, even if outsiders don’t understand why. “I guess the city isn’t like Miami or nothing or isn’t like Phoenix or isn’t like a big city that free agents want to go to,” Brandon Clarke said. “I completely get that. That’s just up to them. I obviously don’t really understand it because this is all I know. I like it here. I love it here.”
Cam Whitmore has become a productive scorer off the Rockets‘ bench, but he had to fix his defensive issues before getting regular playing time, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Coach Ime Udoka said Whitmore has improved his “awareness” and “recognition” in his second NBA season, and Whitmore agrees. “I just had to be locked in for real,” Whitmore said. “Sometimes I’m in la-la land a little bit, but that’s just on me. I owe it all to my (lack of) effort and laziness, but effort is free. It’s just something I had to do, dial in on it a little bit more and try to get on the floor with that.”
Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray will undergo X-rays on his right hand after missing tonight’s game with a sprained index finger, tweets Andrew Lopez of Pelicans.com.

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