Maryland center Derik Queen (25) celebrates a play against Michigan during the second half of Big Ten Tournament semifinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Derik Queen responds to Pelicans trading up 10 spots to draft him

Originally posted on Maryland Terrapins on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 11:57 AM ET

The New Orleans Pelicans were aggressive in their pursuit of former Maryland center Derik Queen. In the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Pelicans moved up 10 spots in a trade with Atlanta in order to bring Queen to New Orleans.

Following the draft, Joe Dumars said that they view Queen as a guy who can serve as a foundation for the franchise moving forward.

"Here's what I've said to the staff. When you identify a player that you think can be one of the foundations here, you go and get him," Dumars said. "And that's what we did. We targeted Queen; we thought he could be a heck of an addition here, and we were really aggressive about going and getting him in this draft."

When asked about the Pelicans trading up 10 spots to get him, Queen said it highlights how much faith the franchise has in him as a player.

"It shows how much faith they have in me, how they believe in me, and how I can fit with their program...the system," Queen said. "I'm not going to prove them wrong, so I'm just glad they had a lot of faith in me and trust in me."

The Pelicans traded up 10 spots to get DQ in the first round.

"It shows how much faith they have in me, how they believe in me, and how I can fit in their system." pic.twitter.com/uHhtXZs1PW
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) June 27, 2025

But not everyone viewed the trade for Queen as a great move for the Pelicans. On Wednesday night, NBA analyst Bill Simmons called it one of the top 5 dumbest moves of the decade.

"This is when I lost my mind. I blacked out. This was one of the five dumbest trades of this decade," Simmons said. "I was speechless. I just can't believe it. And who is it? It's our guy, Joe Dumars. And now he just traded away their unprotected first-round pick."

"They're in the West. What the f--- does [Dumars] think is going to happen next year? Does he think they're going to be a five seed? What is he doing? They might have the championship belt now of biggest mess of a team."

Queen did receive some criticism following his participation in the scouting combine, particularly as it relates to his conditioning. On the surface, the 6-10, 246-pound center doesn't seem physically imposing. But when you turn on his tape, it's clear that he possesses the skill set needed to compete at the highest level, particularly when it comes to his basketball IQ.

This article first appeared on Maryland Terrapins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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