The Toronto Raptors have found themselves in the worst stretch so far of their young 2026-27 regular season, dropping to 5-7 after a three-game losing streak. While there are pros and cons to falling to the top teams in the Eastern Conference without Scottie Barnes or Kawhi Leonard, it doesn’t negate the fact that they are down to the eighth seed with several difficult matchups immediately to come. 

There could always be worse scenarios to be in, though, and one team that could serve as an example is the New Orleans Pelicans. After a five-game losing streak, they are down to 4-9 and 12th place in the Western Conference despite several key young players who seemed destined to shine together under new head coach Jamahl Mosley. The sky isn’t falling for them either, though, as they are seeing stellar play from second-year point guard Jeremiah Fears, former No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft Zion Williamson, and rising star Trey Murphy III. 

With the rise of Fears, the ball hasn’t found its way to former All-Star Dejounte Murray as much as he would like. As a result, among other possibilities, he has officially requested a trade from New Orleans, and now the Pelicans have agreed to evaluate potential trade packages and operate in the best interest of the franchise. 

Murray has developed a good reputation by being an elite two-way guard capable of taking over in scoring while also shutting down his man. The best stretch of his career came in 2022-24: his last season with the San Antonio Spurs and both years with the Atlanta Hawks. During his last two seasons in New Orleans, he played only 45 total games due to a fractured hand and torn Achilles. Former lead executive David Griffin brought in the former Washington Husky to kickstart a path towards becoming a consistent playoff team next to Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum. Now that the Pelicans have prioritized maximizing the potential of a younger roster, Murray is looking to become a contributor to a team with higher hopes. 

Through nine games this season, he’s averaging 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 43/30/93 shooting splits. Several of these numbers would be some of the worst in his career, but it's worth giving him the benefit of the doubt that he is still trying to find his rhythm after the Achilles tear. He’s currently in the last year of his deal before needing to decide whether to opt in to his player option or not next summer; this year he’s owed $32.8 million, and next year he would make $30.8 million should he decide not to test free agency.

Now may be a better time than ever to buy low on a former All-Star to add to the encouraging core in Toronto. Even if his offensive game isn’t quite there, Murray’s defensive tenacity would fit seamlessly in head coach Darko Rajakovic’s system. Already expected to be one of the best defenses in the league, the former No. 29 pick in the 2016 NBA draft would provide immense relief to Barnes and Leonard at the point of attack, allowing them to roam in the passing lanes and the paint. 

Developing a trade may actually be very simple, for once. He and Immanuel Quickley are making very similar money annually, and the latter could add to New Orleans’ shooting and off-ball scoring more than the former has so far. There is certainly a world where Pelicans vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars doesn’t see the two players as having the same value, but with the contracts so similar, it wouldn’t make sense to complicate the package by adding other players. Simply adding a second-round pick or two could be just enough to make sense for both teams to pull the trigger. While the season has only just begun, this seems like a no-brainer deal for both teams as they try to make their way into the playoff picture.