None of the pingpong balls used in Sunday’s NBA draft lottery in Chicago will affect the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans, despite a 26-56 record this season, don’t have a lottery pick.
Their chances of striking gold again like they did in 2012 when they landed Anthony Davis or 2019 when they nabbed Zion Williamson are zilch.
In fact, they don’t have a first-round pick at all because of that much talked about draft night trade last June.
But that doesn’t mean Pels executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars won’t be paying attention.
“Human nature kicks in,” Dumars said. “Of course I’m going to follow it.”
While other NBA executives will have their fingers crossed hoping the pingpong balls fall in their favor, it’ll be just the opposite for Dumars and Pelicans fans.
The Pels finished this season tied for the seventh-worst record in the league. Their pick now belongs to the Atlanta Hawks after Dumars moved up 10 spots from No. 23 to No. 13 in last year’s draft to select Derik Queen. Sports fans in New Orleans enjoy rooting against all things Atlanta, so this is another opportunity to do just that.
The Hawks have a 6.8% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 29.3% chance of getting a top-four pick.
The further from the No. 1 pick the Hawks land in the lottery, the better Dumars can feel about the Queen trade. If the Hawks end up getting the first overall pick, Pelicans fans will be left wondering what could have been in a highly touted 2026 draft class that includes guys such as BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
The development of Queen will also factor in how the trade is inevitably evaluated. If Queen reaches the potential he showed at times this season and becomes one of the NBA’s biggest stars, the trade won’t be talked about nearly as much. (The fact that the Pelicans didn’t put a protection on the pick will likely never be forgotten, though.)
Dumars, as he reminded us last year after the draft, is banking on Queen thriving in the league.
“When you have a chance to get two lottery picks in one draft, you’re accounting for the following year,” Dumars said in June. “… When you identify a player that you think can be one of the foundations here, you go and get him. That’s what we did. We targeted Queen. We thought he could be a heckuva addition here, and we were really aggressive about going to get Queen in this draft.”
Dumars believes in Queen. Even more importantly, Queen believes in himself.
This is what Queen said last year when asked if being under the microscope because of the trade would put a chip on his shoulder.
“I don’t think anybody in that class ever is going to be better than me. I block all the noise out,” Queen said at his introductory news conference. “Joe has got a lot of faith in me. Most of these guys (in the draft), I beat in high school.”
Despite that proclamation, Dumars said there was a time early in the season when Queen brought up the trade. Dumars response?
“I remember telling him, ‘That’s the last time I want you to mention that. Don’t ever mention that to me again. I just need you to go and be you and do your thing. Whatever happens, happens.’ He never brought it up again.”
Queen ended up playing in 81 of 82 games, averaging 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. He started 48 games in a season highlighted by him recording two triple-doubles. He struggled on the defensive end and will have to improve in that area. He’ll get work on that aspect of his game this offseason as he looks to prove Dumars right in giving up this year’s draft pick.
Pelicans fans, eagerly awaiting for Dumars to name a new head coach, will be paying close attention to Queen’s development.
They’ll also be paying close attention to Sunday’s draft lottery, despite not being a part of it.