Pelicans' Derik Queen Says No One Will 'Be Better Than Me' from 2025 NBA Draft Class
New Orleans Pelicans first-round pick Derik Queen insisted he's going to make head of basketball operations Joe Dumars "look like a genius" for taking him in the 2025 NBA draft.
Queen told reporters Saturday he doesn't believe any other prospect from the 2025 class "is ever going to be better than me."
That's about how good the former Maryland center needs to be to justify what New Orleans invested in him.
In what was one of the most scrutinized decisions in the draft, the Pelicans traded away the No. 23 overall pick (Georgia forward Asa Newell) and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to move up 10 spots and get Queen.
The Athletic's John Hollinger reported the swap "had execs around the league already chortling in the moments after the draft." That's because the 2026 pick may wind up being high on the board when it amounts to the best of wherever New Orleans or the Milwaukee Bucks fall.
In effect, the Pels might've used two lottery selections on Queen.
Perhaps Dumars gets the last laugh.
Queen averaged 16.5 points, nine rebounds and 1.1 blocks as a freshman with the Terps. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected him to go 13th overall, exactly where he landed.
Dumars' critics will correctly point out that New Orleans could've picked Queen outright at No. 7. The team chose Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears instead. From that standpoint, it will be tough to justify the trade.
Should Queen emerge as an All-Star big, Dumars will at least be vindicated for his high evaluation of the incoming rookie.
