New Orleans Pelicans Guard Dejounte Murray Shows Support To Controversial Teammate

New Orleans Pelicans' newest addition Dejounte Murray shows love to his current teammate Brandon Ingram on social media.

Oct 14, 2023; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) fight for the ball during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. / Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

There has been plenty of controversy surrounding New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram this summer. The former All-Star heads into this season on the final year of his current contract without an extension in place. Ingram seeks a max extension worth $45-$50 million annually, but the Pelicans are unwilling to pay him that much.

Reportedly, New Orleans had conversations with other NBA teams about his availability, but nothing ever manifested into serious talks about trading Ingram. The former Duke standout posted a video on social media that had some trying to connect the dots to his current situation in New Orleans. The team also held a voluntary workout in California that all players were expected to attend except for Daniel Theis, who had a long summer playing for his home Olympic German Team during the Summer Games.

Brandon Ingram did not attend that workout, causing fans to speculate if the contract stalls are affecting his dedication to the team.

Despite all the speculation surrounding Ingram, one of the newest Pelicans took to social media to show his support for his teammate and friend.

Dejounte Murray just posted about Brandon Ingram on his IG story. pic.twitter.com/MkYmaNbzLX

— Brady (@sideshowbrady) September 2, 2024

Dejounte Murray revealed that he and Ingram have a past relationship outside of basketball and the Pelicans forward reached out to him on the day he was traded to New Orleans.

"He (Ingram) was someone who called me in the morning before this (trade) even happened", Murray told a group of reporters. "He asked me, 'What do you think is going to happen?' I had no clue. Later in the day, I got traded to New Orleans." The former Hawks guard explained that he's known Ingram since his high school days. The duo are now teammates, at least for now.

New Orleans Pelicans executive president of basketball operations David Griffin contends Ingram wants to remain a Pelican, which usually yields positive results when the player wants to stay.

"Brandon wants to stay here,” Griffin told reporters this summer. “He believes in what we are building. That's meaningful to him. That's meaningful to his agent. At the same time, there is a financial reality that we all deal with. I think we're excited about Brandon. We know he's excited about us. Usually, those things yield good results one way or the other.”

Ingram's injury history and inconsistency make it hard for the Pelicans to commit to his asking price. Last year, the 64 games played were the most since his rookie year in the league. He and Zion Williamson have not proven to be a great fit together stylistically on the court. Those factors seem to point toward a separation from Ingram at some point. New Orleans opens it's regular season next month, hosting the Chicago Bulls at home.