New Report Reveals Untold Story On Pelicans-Hawks Trade

A new report from Pelicans insider Shamit Dua revealed the reactions from the Hawks and why this move was seemingly laughed at by the rest of the league. New GM Joe Dumars is not off to a great start this offseason.

"The Hawks could not believe their good fortune," Dua wrote. "While the Pelicans would spend the next 24 hours facing enormous backlash for their reckless decision making, Hawks executives weren’t shy about sharing the details behind deal’s lopsided structure with rival teams."

"One Eastern executive with knowledge of how the conversation went from Atlanta’s perspective described a perplexing scene. When Senior Vice President Troy Weaver made the call to Atlanta’s Bryson Graham, Graham couldn’t believe what was actually being offered. Graham asked for clarification multiple times to confirm the unprotected pick was indeed part of the deal."

"It got to the point where Hawks General Manager, Onsi Saleh, called Joe Dumars directly to confirm for himself. The Hawks waited nervously for Dumars to confirm, hoping he would not realize what was going on and walk the trade back. But the Pelicans persisted and the Hawks got their steal."

For the Pelicans to avoid making this one of the worst draft night trades in history, they can do so by making the postseason and having Queen look well worth the selection.