Former New Orleans Pelicans Forward On The Move Again via Trade

One of the players who were involved in the New Orleans Pelicans deal for Dejounte Murray is on the move again.

Kenneth Teape | Jul 31, 2024

Oct 2, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward E.J. Liddell (32) poses during Media Day at the Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

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New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans made a few major changes to their roster during the 2024 NBA offseason. Certainly, the biggest one was acquiring guard Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks.

The centerpiece of the deal heading back to the Hawks was two first-round picks in 2025 and 2027. 2022 lottery pick Dyson Daniels was the centerpiece player, being joined by Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and E.J. Liddell.

Liddell’s stay in Atlanta ended up not being a long one. Less than a month after being traded from the Pelicans to the Hawks, he was on the move again.

This time, Liddell will be moving west to the desert as he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are sending power forward David Roddy back to the Hawks.

Roddy, a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Colorado State, was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. His draft rights were sent to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he played before being dealt to Phoenix ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.

He was a member of the Suns’ summer league team in Las Vegas, where he averaged an impressive 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Liddell also participated in the NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 on Atlanta’s roster.

He played well despite the change of scenery right before the games got started. Playing for the Hawks, he averaged 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Originally a second-round pick of New Orleans in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Ohio State, Liddell suffered a torn ACL during a Sumer League game and was sidelined for his entire rookie season. Rehabbing and buried on the Pelicans’ bench, he appeared in only eight games during the 2023-24 campaign.

There could be a path to playing time with the Suns, who were lacking depth behind their Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal last season. It would be nice to see the former New Orleans player carve out a role somewhere in the NBA after such a tough start to his professional career following a great junior season with the Buckeyes.

Published Jul 31, 2024

KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.