Pelicans Gamble for Derik Queen Could End Up Paying Off

The New Orleans Pelicans made one of the boldest moves of the offseason this summer. They traded away an unprotected first-round pick for the opportunity to move up in the 2025 NBA Draft and take Derik Queen with the 13th overall pick. While Queen showed a lot of promise in college. He looked like he could become one of those rare big men who have the passing ability and scoring prowess to be the focal point of an NBA offense. The upside is certainly there. 

That being said, for a team with such an unstable recent history, trading an unprotected pick for a player that is certainly not a sure thing is a huge risk. And when the season started, it looked like the risk for Queen might have been a huge mistake. 

Queen didn’t start the season off too hot, but on Wednesday night, he showed exactly why the Pelicans took such a gamble to get him. 

Queen had a career night against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, getting his career high in scoring (30 points) on an incredibly efficient 12-of-18 shooting. 

Although the Pelicans weren't able to take home the win, the performance by Queen is exactly what the Pelicans' front office needs to not feel absolutely terrible about their decision. That's because, despite how good Queen has looked, the Pelicans as a team have been horrible. 

After Wednesday night’s game, they are the worst team in the Western Conference at 2–13. That unprotected pick is looking awfully juicy. 

To ease the pain of losing that pick, the Pelicans are going to need to see a lot more performances like Wednesday's from Queen.