Just like that, draft night gets even weirder for the New Orleans Pelicans, as ESPN's Shams Charania has reported: The Atlanta Hawks are trading the No. 13 pick in the Draft to the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick (the most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee). The Pelicans acquired this pick to draft Maryland center [Derik Queen](https://pelicandebrief.com/last-minute-rumors-may-have-unexpected-big-man-landing-on-pelicans).
I mean, have Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver forgotten that basketball isn't just scoring? First, they drafted [Jeremiah Fears](https://pelicandebrief.com/pelicans-make-worst-pick-of-draft-lottery-with-massive-jeremiah-fears-reach) at No. 7, who is probably this draft's worst defensive guard, and then they doubled down by taking Queen, who is undoubtedly the worst defensive big in this class.
Defensively, Queen struggles. He gets carved up in switches because he is extremely slow on his feet. His lack of vertical athleticism also prevents him from showing the potential to develop into a long-term rim protector at the NBA level.
Queen is incredibly skilled offensively and does fill the hole at center that Kelly Olynyk's departure left, but he is a terrible fit with the Pelicans' current roster construction. Queen is coming off a dominant season at Maryland, averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while being an elite post playmaker. That said, he thrives in the same spots as Zion Williamson, creating a logjam in the Pelicans' low-post.
This pick isn't necessarily a shocker as ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported yesterday that there was a historically long-standing connection between Troy Weaver and Queen due to his son Thomas, a Graduate Assistant on Maryland's coaching staff this past season. So the pick isn't a shocker, but New Orleans drafting two poor defenders in the lottery sure is.
Things are only going to get worse
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After having the NBA's second-worst defensive rating, that will only get worse after New Orleans' selections tonight. Drafting the two biggest defensive liabilities in this year's lottery is now helping build New Orleans' disastrous 2025-26 defense.
A rotation of Jordan Poole, Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson, and now Derik Queen is maybe the worst five-player combination from a defensive standpoint in NBA history. Do Weaver and Dumars realize that Herb Jones can only do so much for a team defensively? I guess not.
They’ve built a team full of offensive talent with no clear defensive identity. That might be exciting for highlight, but come playoff time, if they even get there, this roster will be one that opposing teams salivate over the chance to face.