The New Orleans Pelicans will be without a key starter in the early stages of the NBA season.
Guard Dejounte Murray is set to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured left hand, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday.
Murray sustained the injury in his Pelicans debut on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, when he played 30 minutes and recorded a 14-point, 10-assist double-double.
The Pelicans acquired Murray in a major off-season trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller (via sign-and-trade) and two future first-round draft picks.
Murray, 28, averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 78 games for the Hawks last season. He started his career with five seasons in San Antonio before spending the last two in Atlanta.
New Orleans is back in action Friday with a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
With Murray on the sidelines, fellow guards Trey Murphy III, CJ McCollum and Jose Alvarado could step into larger roles.