NBA Draft day has arrived and Derik Queen's landing spot remains a mystery, with mock drafts projecting him to a wide range of franchises. Two of them also happen to have Maryland basketball connections.
ESPN believes his draft window will begin with the 10th pick, which the Phoenix Suns received from Houston in the Kevin Durant trade. Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony project him 15th to the newly crowned champions, Oklahoma City, joining former Terps standout Aaron Wiggins. That wouldn't be a bad gig for Queen, who'd be joining the top franchise in the league right now, and one that has an army of talent, meaning Queen could be brought along at his own pace. They wrote:
"The Thunder, pivoting to this draft fresh off winning the title Sunday night, are a team without any glaring roster needs but have been primarily linked by rival teams to big men, including Beringer and Sorber. Isaiah Hartenstein is under team control through 2026-27 (Oklahoma City holds a club option on the final year), and the idea of finding and developing a less expensive replacement holds weight, particularly with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren both eligible to sign what figure to be hefty rookie extensions this summer.
Queen would simply be a bet on talent if he fell here, with the Thunder's elite defense providing ample cover for him and Oklahoma City better positioned to weather risk than most."
Mentioned more often for the past month: the Chicago Bulls. They've been linked to Queen, who would turn it into an all-out Terps takeover, joining Kevin Huerter, Jahmir Young and Alex Len. But multiple recent reports have indicated he's a backup plan for them.
"There is also momentum building for Derik Queen, one of the best frontcourt prospects in this draft, to be selected in the 10-14 range," Clutchpoints' Brett Siegel wrote. "Queen has been linked the most to the Chicago Bulls with the 12th pick, yet league sources indicate that the Bulls are still evaluating a few other names in this spot to provide more athleticism and length to their roster."
More below on where Queen's being projected, how he could make history, his thoughts on Toronto and more: