New Orleans Pelicans Basketball Operations head Joe Dumars confronted the crew’s determination to commerce for Derrick Queen.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the crucial lively groups in one of many 2025 NBA Drafts. However truthfully, they’d begun making ready just a few days earlier than the draft.
Earlier within the week, the Pelicans traded CJ McCollum for a Washington Wizard in alternate for former NBA champion Jordan Pool.
Then, on draft evening, they used the #7 decide to land Jeremiah’s fears and selected a ball-handling level guard that might efficiently purchase and distribute the ball.
Nonetheless, they did not cease there because the entrance workplace made one other deal. The Pelican traded for Derrick Queen, the #13 total decide within the NBA Draft, sending the Atlanta Hawks a #23 decide and an unprotected 2026 first-round decide.
The transfer sparked some controversy. Nick Wright particularly was livid on the Pelican for doing this commerce. However Joe Dumar, the president of the basketball enterprise, responded to those criticisms after the draft.
Joe Dumars spoke to the press after one of many 2025 NBA Drafts. When speaking in regards to the determination to commerce with Derrick Queen, Dumars introduced it as a easy determination for him.
He praised Queen’s bodily and psychological attributes and defined why gamers like him are somebody who can contribute to successful from the beginning.
“Clearly, I like robust folks, however you must have an IQ. You are simply robust and might’t do the rest. I’ve raised his IQ in opposition to anybody within the draft.
“This can be a tremendous, tremendous, excessive IQ man. He finds folks, has a safety mentality and pushes it up. It actually appealed to me and will put somebody in court docket like that.
“You name these guys connectors. He can affiliate everybody on the court docket with the best way he performs.
To get a draft of Derrick Queen’s rights, the Pelican needed to abandon the #23 decide and the unprotected 2026 first spherical decide.
The #23 decide is a small quantity to pay, however it’s the first spherical decide in 2026 that followers have questioned the rationale behind the choice.
Similar to this yr, the 2026 NBA Draft class has a really excellent star. And with their roster being constructed now, the Pelicans aren’t going to be a aggressive crew.
It’s extremely robust that the Pelicans have a worse season. Nonetheless, not like this yr, they do not have their very own draft picks, permitting the Hawks to make an enormous revenue and land for the franchise’s stars.
For the protection of Joe Dumars’ job, the Pelicans will have to be aggressive or discover a solution to land some draft capital for subsequent yr’s occasion.
