Widely panned Pelicans' Derik Queen trade isn't as crazy as it seems

For starters, the Pelicans aren't as bad as their 2024-25 record. A main argument against the trade was New Orleans' 21-61 record last season, the West's second-worst. If repeated, the Pelicans could be sending the Hawks a valuable lottery pick next year. 

Simply looking at the team's record, parting with a 2026 unprotected first is an unforgivable misstep. However, that overlooks the fact that the Pelicans experienced brutal injury luck last season, with Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy, Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado among the key starters and reserves who missed significant time.

With better health, New Orleans should be closer to the teams that went 42-40 and 49-33 in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, respectively.

Murray will miss the beginning of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, but the team improved its guard depth in the first round by selecting Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears at No. 7. The freshman guard averaged 17.1 points per game last season and finished second in the SEC in free-throw attempts (215), trailing Alabama senior guard Mark Sears (237).

Williamson's extensive injury history is troubling, but adding Queen and Saddiq Bey, acquired in Tuesday's C.J. McCollum-Jordan Poole trade, could give the Pels a puncher's chance if their star misses time again.

Bey, a 2019 first-round pick, missed all of last season while recovering from a March 2024 torn ACL but is expected to be ready for the start of the season. From 2020-21 through 2023-24, he averaged 14.1 points per game while shooting 35.2 percent from three-point range.

Meanwhile, Queen was a top-10 prospect on several big boards entering the draft, including No. 8 by The Ringer, which praised his hands, touch and ability to switch on defense, something head coach Willie Green has always preached.

Queen is also a gifted passer, which should open things up for his teammates on the perimeter, including Murphy, Poole and rising second-year pro Antonio Reeves, who shot 39.5 percent from deep in 44 games as a rookie.

"Few big guys in this draft, if any, can go toe to toe with Queen when it comes to overall passing tools," The Ringer wrote.

The Bucks could suffer a decline with guard Damian Lillard (Achilles) out for the season, but as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in Milwaukee, they should avoid the lottery.

The Pelicans could have taken a patient approach and hoarded their future draft capital, but by adding two top-10 caliber prospects in this year's draft, they improved their 2025-26 roster instead.

For a team that only two seasons ago fell just shy of 50 wins and isn't trying to repeat last year's dismal results, that's a risk worth taking. By no means is it guaranteed to work, but neither is playing it safe and hoping better prospects fall in their lap next summer. 

That's how you become the Charlotte Hornets.

The Pelicans aren't in a position financially to be a major player in free agency, so adding two top prospects on a rookie scale is a win. It's up to New Orleans to make it work.