Maryland’s Derik Queen taken by New Orleans Pelicans in first round of 2025 NBA Draft
Updated: 9:45 PM EDT Jun 25, 2025
Maryland big man Derik Queen was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday.The Baltimore native was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2025, his only season at Maryland.Queen, a 6-foot-10-inch center, played a big part in Maryland’s success this season, propelling the Terps past Colorado State in the Round of 32 with a buzzer-beating bank shot. The bucket put Maryland in the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than a decade.In his lone season with Maryland, Queen scored a team high 16.5 points per game and ranked third in the conference with 9.5 rebounds.The No. 13 pick initially belonged to the Atlanta Hawks, who ESPN’s Shams Charania reports will trade Queen to New Orleans.Queen will look to improve a Pelicans team that finished second-to-last in the Western Conference this season.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS, N.Y. —
Maryland big man Derik Queen was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
The Baltimore native was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2025, his only season at Maryland.
Queen, a 6-foot-10-inch center, played a big part in Maryland’s success this season, propelling the Terps past Colorado State in the Round of 32 with a buzzer-beating bank shot. The bucket put Maryland in the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than a decade.
In his lone season with Maryland, Queen scored a team high 16.5 points per game and ranked third in the conference with 9.5 rebounds.
The No. 13 pick initially belonged to the Atlanta Hawks, who ESPN’s Shams Charania reports will trade Queen to New Orleans.
Queen will look to improve a Pelicans team that finished second-to-last in the Western Conference this season.