Derik Queen Might Be Good Enough To Make A Colossally Dumb Decision Look Slightly Less Dumb

The front-office decisions that brought Derik Queen to New Orleans were indefensible, so ham-handed that even the counterpart in the trade reportedly couldn't believe that the offer was real. Pelicans execs Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver gave up a first-round pick in a loaded 2026 draft in order to move up just 10 slots and select Queen at No. 13 this year; they will have to wear that indignity for the rest of their careers. But at least the baby-faced big they overpaid for looks stellar, even as his team toils at the nadir of the Western Conference.

Queen posted 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and four blocks in Monday's 135-132 loss Monday to the San Antonio Spurs, the first in what could be a long procession of triple-doubles. Over the last few weeks, the soft-handed Queen has displayed enough ball skills, vision, and dainty footwork to kick off a lifetime of comparisons to Nikola Jokic. These may grow tiresome, if they are not already. Jokic himself was recently prodded about the comp, which elicited a begrudging admission of similarity: "Slow, crafty, I can see it."