The 2025-26 season hasn’t even started yet, and a key member of the New Orleans Pelicans is already injured. 10th overall pick Derik Queen was just ruled out for at least the next three months due to a torn scapholunate ligament and will be reevaluated after the beginning of the season.
Pelicans forward/center Derik Queen underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 18, 2025
That makes their already questionable decision to trade for him seem all the more questionable in retrospect. The Pelicans were derided for their decision to trade the 23rd pick in this year’s draft and their 2026 unprotected first to the Atlanta Hawks for Queen. Bill Simmons even went on a pretty spectacular rant, criticizing the move.
“This was one of the five dumbest trades of this decade.”@BillSimmons was SPEECHLESS after the Pelicans traded away a 2026 unprotected first-round pick to move up 10 spots. pic.twitter.com/GpV3N53eBW
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 26, 2025
To be fair, that move continues to defy logic. It’s difficult to see a scenario in which the Pelicans aren’t one of the three worst teams in the Western Conference next season.
They could very easily be the worst team in the West next season if Zion Williamson continues to collect DNPs. That would all but cement the likelihood that they’d be giving up a top five pick next year, in addition to the 23rd pick in this year’s draft for Queen.
Derik Queen’s injury makes the Pelicans even worse
Without Queen to start next season, the Pelicans are left with a weird roster. They still have Dejounte Murray and will be paying him $30 million a season for the next three years. However, he is recovering from a second major career injury and may miss most, if not all, of next season.
It’s uncertain how he will perform after his injury. There’s also the addition of Jordan Poole, whose fit just seems odd considering the Pelicans seem stuck between rebuilding and trying to contend.
With the constant specter of injuries, it’s challenging to see a path out of their current situation. The most obvious route for the Pelicans to improve would be if both Jeremiah Fears and Queen become stars, which is possible but far from certain.
A healthy Williamson would be a floor raiser, but expecting him to play even 2/3 of the season seems like a disappointment waiting to happen. Even if he does, the West is so deep that the Pelicans still may find themselves near the bottom of the conference standings.
Ultimately, the Pelicans decision to mortgage their future by trading an unprotected first-round pick to acquire Queen is looking worse by the day. With their roster being questionable at best, they have to hope that Fears, Queen, and Williamson can help them out of what is looking increasingly like a disastrous series of moves.
