Derik Queen will forever be intertwined with the Atlanta Hawks, and the rookie forward made it loud and clear he’s been looking forward to Wednesday night’s matchup between the two squads.
Queen was technically drafted 13th overall by Atlanta, who immediately traded his rights to New Orleans for the 23rd pick (Asa Newell) and a 2026 unprotected NOP/MIL first round swap. This trade was universally considered a massive win for the Hawks, with some analysts going as far as to claim the ‘26 swap was one of the most valuable draft assets traded in NBA history.
While Queen has defied all expectations this season, he still lives in the shadow of the trade that sent him to the Pelicans. He’s currently averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 boards, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks in what is nothing less than a spectacular performance from a rookie center. Frankly, the Hawks could use a player like this on the roster, as they currently sit 10th in the standings due to Kristaps Porzingis’s injury struggles at the center position. Still, he is the butt of jokes around the league due to his unfortunate placement in this trade.
Atlanta and Queen added additional fuel to this ongoing feud
The Hawks will always be connected to Queen, but not just because of the draft night trade. When the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints, their fiercest rivals, on November 23rd of last year, they had a playful jab at the Hawk-for-a-day on Twitter.
Marked safe from Derik Queen pic.twitter.com/FLMY7gN7VY
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 24, 2025
The Falcons were referring to the end of the most recent Hawks-Pelicans matchup, when Atlanta led 115-96 with 15 seconds left. As Vit Krejci dribbled the clock out, he turned his back to Queen – a fatal mistake. Like a wild cat stalking its prey, Queen hunched over and snuck behind the unsuspecting Krejci, poking the ball free. He then dunked the ball with 8.1 seconds left, clearly irritating his opponents.
Queen responded to the Falcons’ post as any 20-year-old looking to prove themselves would: with a cryptic response. He replied, “Jan 7th, 2026 at 6:30pm central time,” the next time he would face off against the Hawks.
Six weeks later, and the day is finally here. Queen has his chance to make the Falcons eat their words, and perhaps even inspire a memo from the Hawks to the Dirty Birds requesting they stick to their own sport when starting beef.
However, the world does not expect the Maryland product to get his revenge. Per FanDuel, the Hawks are 10.5-point favorites, and they will have Kristaps Porzingis back.