The New Orleans Pelicans faced serious criticism after selecting Derik Queen with the 13th pick in the NBA Draft.
To acquire that pick, the Pelicans sent the 23rd pick and an unprotected 2016 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Considering the Pelicans might be a lottery-level team again, losing that pick hurts.
Derik Queen is a good player worth trading up for, but the circumstances are not in the Pelicans’ favor. Unless they pull off the best 2025-26 regular season possible, this might be a terrible trade.
New president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has caught the majority of the flak. This includes Bill Simmons ripping into the trade, but Dumars himself has defended the decision.
He talked about how Queen was worth it, and how he has all the strengths the New Orleans Pelicans need.
For Queen, he wants more people to talk about him rather than the lost first-round pick. He is ready to prove everyone wrong and establish himself as one of the top players in the class.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesDerik Queen thinks he will be the best player in 2025 NBA Draft class
As the Pelicans face criticism, Queen is in the middle of the crossfire. Unfortunately, he is the focal point of the discourse besides Dumars.
However, thankfully for Pelicans fans, Queen is using it as the motivation to help him during his career. It is natural for him to be more defensive, as he wants to prove he was the right pick.
“Definitely. I don’t think anyone in that class is ever going to be better than me. I block all the noise out. He’s got a lot of faith in me. Most of those guys I beat on in high school,” Queen said in his introductory press conference.
“It don’t really matter, but just gotta continue. The NBA is a whole different level, so just gotta continue getting better.
“Don’t get too big-headed, don’t get too low. Just beat on them next year and make Joe look like a genius.”
That is the optimal mindset, as he will be playing under a microscope. He wants to cement himself enough to prove the critics wrong and Dumars right.
“Definitely. I don’t think anyone in that class is ever going to be better than me… Most of those guys I beat on in High School… Just beat on them next year and make Joe look like a genius”
— Derik Queen on being motivated by the noise around the trade pic.twitter.com/aWiIkZ4eJK
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) June 28, 2025
View Tweet
The New Orleans Pelicans’ 2025 draft picks are promising
The team is making big moves in the 2025 offseason, as they traded CJ McCollum for Jordan Poole. At the same time, Queen is only one of New Orleans’ three selections in the 2025 NBA Draft.
They selected Jeremiah Fears from Oklahoma with the seventh overall pick. He is a lightning-quick point guard with tremendous potential and was superb in college as a top player who led his team on a lengthy unbeaten run.
The last rookie was Micah Peavy, who was the 40th overall pick by the Washington Wizards. He is a promising player who is a legitimate two-way talent. Peavy could be a steal as part of the McCollum and Poole trade.
The Pelicans have low expectations, but the team is poised to prove everyone wrong. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III will be the stars, but this set of rookies is hungry for success.