Pelicans rookie Derik Queen has undergone surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, the team announced today in a press release.
Queen sustained the injury in Tuesday’s Summer League game vs. Portland in Las Vegas and underwent the procedure days later in Los Angeles. He’s expected to be reevaluated in approximately 12 weeks, according to the Pelicans. Training camp is scheduled to get underway in about 10-and-a-half weeks.
Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick last month after the Pelicans sent Atlanta this year’s No. 23 selection and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks) for the right to draft the Maryland big man, who was highly productive in his freshman season with the Terrapins. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.4 minutes per contest across 36 total games, helping guide Maryland to a 27-9 record and a spot in the Sweet 16.
In three Summer League appearances for the Pelicans this month, Queen averaged 14.0 points per game and ranked first among players in Vegas in both rebounds (11.0) and turnovers (5.7) per contest.
A torn scapholunate ligament isn’t an uncommon injury among NBA players, with Thunder forward Jalen Williams the latest player to undergo surgery to address the issue. The timeline the Pelicans provided for their next update on Queen also doesn’t come as a surprise, since the ailment generally requires a few months to come back from — when Hornets forward Brandon Miller underwent surgery on January 23 of this year to repair the torn scapholunate ligament in his wrist, for instance, he was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Still, it’s a disappointing setback for New Orleans and for Queen, who won’t be ready for the start of training camp and whose availability for the start of the regular season is also very much up in the air.
Queen is one of several key Pelicans players who is now in the process of recovering from a major surgery. Dejounte Murray is coming off an Achilles tear, while Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy underwent procedures to repair labrum/rotator cuff tears during the second half of the 2024/25 season.
Tough break after they gave up quite a bit to move up to get him, I believe.
Now you know why most teams let their lottery picks play a game or 2 at the most.
I know a player can get injured at any time, but what is the real point of summer league? I’m sure the league is getting all the money and the teams aren’t getting anything out of it.
Young assistant coaches and young players get a tremendous opportunity to get better, showcase their talents, and chase their dreams. That’s the real point.
And you just made his point for him. Lottery picks do not need to “showcase” their talent, nor does the team need to see their talent. They were picked in the lottery for a reason. Teams know who they are, and protecting them from meaningless summer league games should be their first priority.
Because we all know every lottery pick is guaranteed to pan out. /s
Man The Pelicans can’t seem to get a break.
The Atlanta Hawks are about to get Cam Boozer with that Pelicans 2026 1st lol
Definitely rather take Mikel Brown Jr or AJ with that #1 pick
You have no idea how good he’ll be in college. Don’t take the height from TV. This guys are getting paid by families to hide these games up in college. You know how much money Carlos is paid out millions to have his sons name mentioned. announcers are making side money. All the greatest announcers are now dead or retired and would never accept a penny and would call out a bad player, but now these guys are making so much money off of mental names to great of money that will eventually get them in trouble.
What? Wow, OK.
Dumars is already acting like the worst GM in the league somehow
lol meanwhile the Ainge fam is 2yrs away from being 2yrs away
He likely is.
Pelican name is for the Birds.
End the Utah Relocation Hex
Bring back the name “Jazz”.
I hear they are already calling him, “Dairy Queen”.
I think he has an endorsement deal with them
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
New Orleans got what these deserved on this one.
There should be a cap on how many times “and so it begins” is used on a godforsaken, snakebitten team like the PELICANS.
Trading up for a guy that gets hurt isn’t easy to swallow. Tatum, Luka vibes.
That sucks man. He is a top rook imo. Hope he stays in shape…….
The Pelicans curse continues…