The New Orleans Pelicans’ commerce for Derik Queen in the course of the 2025 NBA Draft is sure to be remembered as one of many defining offers of its period. At greatest, it was extremely daring; at worst, utterly reckless. Whereas not precisely Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis degree dangerous, the Pelicans’ resolution to commerce their unprotected 2026 first-round choose for the precise to draft Queen was affected by poor course of, surrendering one of the crucial useful future belongings within the league for shifting up 10 spots within the draft order to throw a dart on a late lottery choose. Queen’s wonderful rookie yr has made the deal much more fascinating, and untangling the commerce feels essential now no matter the way it works out sooner or later.
Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver have been employed to guide the Pelicans’ entrance workplace in April, and by June they’d mortgaged the workforce’s future for an enormous guess on Queen. Because it seems, the Pelicans traded a number of premium picks in a loaded 2026 draft to take Queen at No. 13 total, beginning with a uncommon deal made in the course of the 2025 NBA Finals with an energetic Finals participant.
The Indiana Pacers have been down 3-2 within the NBA Finals after they swung a commerce with the Pelicans to get their 2026 first-round choose again. Indiana had initially traded its unprotected first-rounder to Toronto for Pascal Siakam, and Toronto circled and traded it to New Orleans for Brandon Ingram. Right here’s the total particulars of the commerce.
Pelicans get: No. 23 total choose in 2025 NBA Draft
Pacers get: Personal 2026 unprotected first-round choose
The Pelicans rightfully thought the Pacers have been set as much as be excellent once more in 2025-26, however Tyrese Haliburton’s calf pressure suffered the day earlier than the commerce modified the calculus. Haliburton tore his Achilles throughout Sport 7 a couple of days later, and the Pacers now had the choice of tanking in 2025-26, which is precisely what’s occurred.
For the Pelicans, the deal was all the time about shifting as much as purchase one other lottery choose in the course of the 2025 draft. After taking Oklahoma level guard Jeremiah Fears with their very own choose at No. 7 total, the Pelicans reportedly provided their unprotected first-rounder to each workforce behind them till they received a taker. The Atlanta Hawks accepted as soon as it reached No. 13. Right here’s the deal between the Pelicans and Hawks:
Pelicans get: No. 13 total choose in 2025 NBA Draft, used to pick Derik Queen
Hawks get: Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round choose + No. 23 total choose in 2025, used to pick Asa Newell
Dumars indicated after the draft that the identical commerce was provided to the Raptors, Suns, Path Blazers, and Bulls earlier than Atlanta took it:
Weaver has a protracted historical past of concentrating on gamers from the DMV space, so it was no shock he beloved a Baltimore native and Maryland Terrapins standout like Queen. Queen has spent the early a part of his rookie yr rewarding Weaver’s religion, and it seems like he’s going to be an superior, foundational piece for New Orleans to construct round for years. The one downside is that the belongings the Pelicans gave as much as get him proceed to look juicier by the day.
The Pelicans are at the moment the second worst workforce within the NBA with a 6-22 document. The Pacers are at the moment the fifth-worst workforce within the NBA with a 6-21 document. New Orleans may have had Fears — who has additionally had a brilliant promising rookie season — with two main bites on the apple to land within the top-3 of the 2026 draft with Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and A.J. Dybatnsa ready on the prime.
The precise belongings surrendered gained’t be decided till lottery evening, however it positive seems like New Orleans’ personal choose may have a most 14 % likelihood of touchdown at No. 1 total, and the Pacers’ choose gained’t be far behind. The method behind Dumars and Weaver’s commerce was all the time an abomination, however there’s nonetheless an opportunity the commerce may work out in New Orleans’ favor even when it in all probability isn’t seemingly.
Was there a method for New Orleans to nonetheless get Queen with out giving up a lot? I actually suppose so even when it’s not possible to say for positive.
The Pelicans ought to have provided their unprotected 2027 choose as an alternative
The highest-3 of the 2026 draft was all the time thought of particular properly earlier than this school basketball season began. NBA groups knew for a minimum of two years that Peterson, Boozer, and Dybantsa all had the expertise to be the highest total choose, making 2026 the uncommon draft the place getting No. 3 is nearly is sweet as getting No. 1. Even with Queen on the roster, the Pelicans have been nonetheless projected to be a bottom-three workforce within the West with the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns. In equity, the Suns have drastically exceeded expectations to maneuver into playoff place (in addition they don’t personal their 2026 draft choose), and possibly New Orleans thought it may do the identical factor. The one downside is that given Zion Williamson’s fixed unavailability and the youth of the roster, it was all the time a foul guess.
If the Pelicans needed to have Queen, they need to have provided their unprotected 2027 choose as an alternative.
New Orleans’ 2027 choose continues to be improbable asset for Atlanta, and it might have given Queen and Fears two seasons to mature as successful gamers earlier than New Orleans gave up management of its first-rounder. The Pelicans and Hawks are already entangled within the 2027 draft because of the Dejounte Murray commerce: New Orleans will obtain the extra favorable of its 2027 first spherical choose and the Bucks’ 2027 first spherical choose, and Atlanta will obtain the much less favorable of the 2 protected for alternatives 1-4. The Pelicans may have given Atlanta full management of the higher choose between themselves and the Bucks (who may be with out Giannis by that point) and eradicated the protections.
Why is that higher? Sharp draft scouts have lengthy recognized the 2027 is trying fairly weak to date. Ask 5 NBA evaluators who’s going No. 1 total in 2027 proper now, and also you may get 5 completely different solutions, however not in a great way. I’d in all probability have Dylan Mingo at No. 1 for the time being, however he’s a number of tiers under the massive three in 2026. Tyran Stokes might be the front-runner for No. 1 in 2027 proper now. Duke commit Cameron Williams, Houston commit Arafan Diane, Arkansas commit J.J Andrews, Caleb Holt, and Bruce Department Jr. may additionally turn into the No. 1 total choose 18 months from now. These gamers are all fairly good younger prospects … however they’re not near Peterson, Boozer, and Dybantsa.
The Pelicans must hope their choose doesn’t land top-3
Whereas I just like the prospects behind Peterson, Boozer, and Dybantsa within the 2026 class — I’d have North Carolina ahead Caleb Wilson at No. 4 total proper now, adopted by some mixture of Kentucky massive man Jayden Quaintance, Houston level guard Kingston Flemings, and Arizona ahead Koa Peat — there’s positively an enormous drop-off after the third choose. Try our newest 2026 NBA mock draft right here.
If the Hawks stroll away with the No. 4 or No. 5 choose within the lottery, there’s a great likelihood Queen shall be higher than no matter participant goes in that spot. Certain, 10 years from now, we’ll in all probability look again on the 2026 draft and say somebody drafted after No. 3 ended up higher than Queen, however giving up something after No. 3 ought to make New Orleans really feel critically relieved.
Queen may completely be an All-Star, however his protection continues to be a difficulty
Queen is such a charming participant partly as a result of he has such well-defined strengths and weaknesses:
- He’s top-of-the-line drivers you’ll ever see for somebody his dimension, listed at 6’9, 250 kilos. He can deal with the ball like a guard and create a great search for himself or his teammates out of skinny air. His massive physique permits him to play by contact, and he’s been an 80 % free throw shooter to date when he’s despatched to the foul line.
- Queen is already a 78th percentile isolation scorer, posting 1.07 factors per possession with 60.4 % true capturing on the play kind.
- Queen’s passing was massively underrated coming into the draft, and already seems superior early in his rookie yr.
- Queen is undersized for a middle and fairly gradual for an NBA 4.
- Queen’s protection goes to be a difficulty within the NBA. Groups desire a defensive anchor on the 5, and that’s not Queen. It’s positively doable he may very well be actually good in a two-big look alongside Yves Missi or one other massive, however the numbers are at the moment fairly tough.
- Queen doesn’t shoot threes but. He’s 2-of-18 from three in his first 26 NBA video games, and he didn’t shoot threes in faculty, both.
I had Queen No. 11 on my remaining 2025 massive board as a result of I used to be nervous he didn’t have any function participant fairness as a possible No-3, No-D prospect. He wanted to discover a workforce that may let him rock out with the ball in his palms, and I used to be nervous there simply wasn’t many choices. It seems New Orleans has been very prepared to present the ball to Queen now that Zion Williamson has once more dissatisfied, and he’s already proving that he’s going to be a killer offensive participant in an on-ball function.
EPM has Queen has a fiftieth percentile offensive participant proper now, and a fifth percentile defender. Queen can also be days away from turning 21 years outdated at time of publish, which means he’s fairly a bit older than the opposite one-and-done rookies from his class.
Possibly Queen will get in higher form as he ages and his protection will enhance. He’s already been somewhat higher defensively as a rookie in some areas than I assumed as a result of he can get steals and deflections together with his fast palms. Right here’s his defensive numbers so removed from NBARAPM, that are encouraging to a point regardless of the tough all-around affect captured in EPM.
I’m nonetheless skeptical about how Queen’s protection scales on a successful workforce. Granted, having Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III subsequent to him is mainly a great match, and to date lineups with all three have been stable.
The Pelicans have been proper to imagine in Queen’s expertise, however the technique of the commerce was all the time horrendous. I wouldn’t be too shocked if, 5 years from now, the overall consensus is that the commerce wasn’t so dangerous for New Orleans. That might require Queen to proceed trying like an absolute hoss on offense whereas exhibiting some defensive enchancment, and the choose slipping exterior of Boozer-Dybantsa-Peterson vary.
The Pelicans actually simply ought to have traded a 2027 unprotected choose as an alternative of 2026. For now, New Orleans simply has to hope that Atlanta falls within the draft, and Queen continues to look nice.
