Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has heard the criticisms of his decision to trade an unprotected 2026 first-round pick (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s selections) in order to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 in the 2025 draft to nab Derik Queen. In fact, Dumars says he “gets it,” telling Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN that “so much of today’s NBA narrative is around (draft) picks.”
However, the Pelicans’ top basketball executive has no regrets about that deal, since it allowed the team to leave the draft with both Jeremiah Fears and Queen, two prospects the front office badly wanted, rather than having to decide between them at No. 7.
“We looked at the lottery this year and said, ‘Wow, it’d be great if we could get both of those guys, and it may cost us,'” Dumars said. “But if you truly believe they can be foundational pieces for your success long term, then we’ll do what we have to do. It simply came down to we have this guard that we really, really love and this young big that we really, really love. Let’s go for it. I know we paid a big price for it, but it’s not like we’re unhappy with what we got. We like what we have as foundational pieces for the long term here.”
As we noted earlier this week, while the 3-22 Pelicans look increasingly likely to convey a high 2026 draft pick to Atlanta as a result of that draft-night trade, Queen’s performance in recent weeks, including a 33-point double-double on Monday, has shown there’s reason to believe the deal can work out for both teams.
“I know it probably weighs on his mind and on (Queen’s) shoulders a lot,” Fears said of the reaction to the trade. “As long as he knows what he can bring to the table and proves it every single time, there’s not really much you can say. He’s going to continue to prove to Joe D, to prove to everybody else that (Dumars) made the right decision.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Jordan Poole, who has missed the Pelicans‘ past 18 games due to a left quad strain, has a chance to play on Thursday for the first time since November 4. The veteran guard has been upgraded to questionable for New Orleans’ game against Portland, per the team. Poole started four of the club’s first seven contests before going down with that quad injury.
- Even though they lost starting point guard Fred VanVleet to an ACL tear before the season, the Rockets aren’t interested in pursuing Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, league sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. Houston has the NBA’s fourth-best offense this season with Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Aaron Holiday running the point.
- He has become somewhat overlooked in San Antonio as the Spurs added top-five picks Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper to their roster in recent years, but Keldon Johnson is routinely described by people within the organization as the heart of the team, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Johnson, who had 17 points in the Spurs’ NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Lakers on Wednesday, has scored double-digit points in 20 of 24 games this season despite coming off the bench in each one of those contests. “He puts his body in harm’s way for the betterment of the team every game,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “We got a lot of big personalities, and we got a face of the franchise, but that guy’s the heart and soul of the team, and I think you can see it when you watch this team long enough.”
The deal didn’t let them get both Queen and Fears. Fears was their own draft pick.
Without the deal, they would’ve had to choose between the two. The deal allowed them to end up with both. I’ll tweak the wording slightly to make that clearer.
Dumars is full of it. This is a bad argument. Nobody is saying he couldnt trade from 23/13 they are just saying the colossal moron gave up what may be the 1st overall pick to do it.
Its like the guy just doesnt seem to get that he could have made the exact same trade with a top 8 protection, and ATL would have still done it in an instant. The guy just doesnt get it…
Dumars/Weaver be DUMB…
That’s exactly how the article reads. ….
The deal did allowed them to get both cause they got Queen with the trade. That is what he is saying.
The pick should have been protected. Cause Hawks still would have done the deal. Just remember teams only have 5 mins to make a pick. Suns had traded KD and took Maluach at #10. Blazers, Bulls were up next. So he probably never expected Queen to be there. So when Bulls took Essengue. He was probably in shock. Nets had multiple picks to offer. He just went for it. If the pick does become a top 5 pick. It will be a steep price. But you can’t look back.
Queen is going to be special. And trading Zion should bring back picks. Pelicans still have trade options they can make. Including Murray at TD or at next years draft. Murray is coming back in January. So he can also help them move up in standings. Nothing is set yet. So slow your roll on Joe …..
Pelicans have 57 games to play.
No Joe, you definitely wouldn’t do that deal again, even if you knew Queen wasn’t awful.
So many picks in that range aren’t that good, so give up a top 1-3 pick for Queen is a terrible deal. Fire him.
He should have been fired that same day. Everyone but him that is in or covering the league knew what he did instantly. Like every draft show spent a large chunk of the rest of the first round coverage talking about this stupidness.
LOL. 2ker’s will never like the deal because they don’t understand the concept of team building (among other things) vs the “winning” of trades. The latter is simple enough for them, particularly if its draft pick for draft pick. Even if it really isn’t, it is for them.
Dumars’ moves may reflect impatience, with so many guys coming off injuries, but it reflects his charge from ownership. Bottom line is that he’s been on the job 8 months, and has already brought in two foundation pieces that he can start building around now.
Imo Queen was a top 5 talent in his draft. So what do you give up for that. I was and I am real high on Queen. He will change the PF position. Like and updated Malone or E Hayes.
Agreed on Queen. He can quickly become a legit #1-2 offensive option from a big man spot, not many of those, and few others at his age. I think Fears was also top 5.
Risky to trade any unprotected FRP, when you’re then in the lottery, but the rare chance to get two top 5 talents certainly would have tempted any team builder. Risk-reward was not horrible. NOP was in the lottery last year, true, but for the first time in 4 years, largely due to an unprecedented string of injuries, and most of the guys were due back at some point early this year. They won 49 games season before last. It wasn’t a sure fire lottery team again, and they certainly weren’t planning on tanking.
Where do you think NOP are? I dont think you understand.
It wasnt about winning the trade, it was about understanding the value of the assets at the time it was done. Sure occasional bad trades work out, but when everyone knows you got it wrong that day by a lot none of this backwards looking. Every NBA person knows that the value of a top 3 pick is many many multiples the value of a 13th pick, no matter the player, peoples problem is with the process. Also the fact he knew he had no Murray entering the year with a team that was just bad and injury prone, but he also thought they would be good enough protections werent necessary despite coming off one of the worst seasons in the league. They also seem to have banked on Zion being healthy, which why? Every one of the 29 other teams are calling trying to rip off the pels every single day for a reason.
The team has a rotation piece in Fears, not a foundation piece. Queen looks like a decent player, but really he has had one really big game in the midst of what has been a modest showing as a rookie. You probably arent going to end up with either as one of the 3 top players on a deep playoff team, at least not for years.
Poole/minimal to negative trade value. Jones Murphy/Decent trade value, but less than people think with how insiders are anti hyping the potential Giannis package and poo pooing any team unloading all the picks. You might get the Deni package ish for those two. Zion/zero value cant ever stay healthy on top of the rest. Murray/Coming off an major injury and still not even playing.
You are already rebuilding while giving away a probably lottery pick this season. Dont have a huge cupboard of picks yet, and dont have the best assets to go get them. Also the more you tear down this season the more likely your giving up a top 5 pick for sure. The Pels are in some of the worst shape of any NBA franchise, and the guy in charge just showed he has no clue what hes doing. Would you rather be the Pels or Kings the next 5 years? Yeah nuff said.
LOL. You really should stay clear of issues of talent evaluation and/or team building, and, even more certainly, probability theory. As to the latter, at the time this trade was done, the pick going to ATL had significantly less than a 10% chance of being a top 3 pick in 2026. The consideration going the other way wasn’t really a draft pick at all (so it doesn’t matter what # it was), it was a player. So, that’s the only deal that was done and thus the only deal that could be said to be good or bad at the time it was done.
Of course, if your amateur scouting report proves accurate, and Queen and Fears turn out to be no more than a decent player/ rotational player, then no doubt the deal will likely turn out to be a bad one.
He needs to hate on someone ….. they got 57 games to go. Murray is coming back in January. I doubt it’s a top 5 pick. Trade Zion you get tge pick back lol.
They traded the pick right when the entire NBA world was wondering if Giannis was about to ask out. Like that was before Turner and the meetings with the GM. They traded a best of pick between a potentially Giannis less Bucks, and a Pels team that knew it was missing Murray most of the year, and was just trash. There were lots of probable scenarios just like we see now where both ends of the swap could be in the high lottery. It was the height of stupidity and every single person in the NBA except Joe f***ing Dumars knew it.
Queen and Fears have been better than the draft grades so far nothing more. They certainly havent looked like even a top 5 player in this draft yet, and havent shown that they can even beat the scout once the book is out on them and the league adjusts. They are good young players right now, nothing more. They are far from future stars. AJ and Co this draft could be true blue star prospects though, and ATL might be getting one of them…
A lot of people thought Kuminga had a lot more star upside than either of them. Where has it gotten him? The 90% outcome on both is they are multi year starting quality players that never make an all star or all NBA team. Thats the outcome for most players.
It was a moronic trade – why would you even argue that point?
As a Kings fan, you’d rather be a Pels fan every day of the week…
At least the Pels can draft actual NBA players.
Queen is Sabonis with a better shot and better passer. Old school PF.
So can the Kings, and then they trade them for Domantas Sabonis ;p
Rockets are targeting
1. Ryan Rollins
2. Payton Pritchard
3. Cam Spencer
Nono no no nono ……. Jrue or CJ
My definition on the word “contenders”
Contenders = Conference Finals
The best idea for Rockets are
VanVleet, Capela, Eason and picks for Ja Morant
This is the only way Rockets have a chance to go to Conference Finals
Spurs will have a better chance to go to Conference Finals than Lakers and Rockets
Queen is a steal, NOP did right in there, dude in the next draft might be a flop!
nba exec o the year
Pels can just give up Zion to Hawks. How’s that !!!!
Give us our pick back , says Joe …….
Risacher, Walker, Kennard, Pels #1 pick ….