Zion Williamson and Derik Queen are now teammates in New Orleans, and the jokes are flying as a result.
The New Orleans Pelicans acquired the rights to the former Maryland standout Queen during Wednesday’s NBA Draft. Queen originally went with the No. 13 overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks but ended up with the Pelicans in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick and an unprotected first-round pick in 2026.
Perhaps the most notable development with Queen in New Orleans was his new pairing in the frontcourt with the embattled Pelicans star Williamson. X users had plenty of wisecracks about the new Williamson-Queen tandem.
Zion and Derik Queen pic.twitter.com/NL0BX7fSGt
— zames (@zamesss1) June 26, 2025
Not sure Zion is the role model Derik Queen is gonna need
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) June 26, 2025
Derik Queen learning from Zion pic.twitter.com/6HJrtEVNS0
— he who knows ball (@knower_of_ball) June 26, 2025
Derik Queen needing to lose some more weight got drafted into the city of New Orleans with zion pic.twitter.com/qhmJLBI6Nq
— zion (@8tozay) June 26, 2025
The 20-year-old Queen is officially listed at 245 pounds. He has spoken openly in the past about his weight-loss journey, noting that he once weighed up to 262 pounds.
Of course, Williamson has infamously struggled with his conditioning as well, especially earlier on in his career when he reportedly ballooned to an alarming weight. Now Williamson is officially listed at 284 pounds (though he continues to be plagued by other various issues these days).
Queen looked great in college at Maryland, averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while providing some clutch moments in the NCAA Tournament as well. But with Williamson as his new veteran in New Orleans, many are concerned about what that will mean for Queen both on and off the court.