Derik Queen unable to back up his month-old warning to Hawks amid growing beef

The Atlanta Hawks returned to action Wednesday night at home, where they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 117-100.

Normally, matchups between cross-conference opponents don't hold high stakes. These two ball clubs, however, have quite a history.

It all started in the 2024 offseason, when Atlanta sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans in exchange for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and two first-round picks. Nearly two years later, and it's clear the Hawks won that deal. In his first season as a Hawk, Daniels took a monumental leap on both ends of the floor.

Averaging 14.1 points and 3.0 steals per game, Daniels took home the 2025 Most Improved Player award. Dejounte Murray, on the other hand, has only suited up in 31 total games with the Pelicans.

The next offseason, the Hawks and Pelicans engaged in trade talks and completed another significant deal. This time, the trade happened on draft night.

In a bold trade-up for Derik Queen, New Orleans sent Atlanta the 23rd overall pick, which ended up being Asa Newell, and their unprotected 2026 first-round pick swap.

Many were shocked that New Orleans would give up their 2026 unprotected pick, and for good reason. The Pelicans were never expected to be a playoff team this season, putting major pressure on their rookie big man to make the franchise not regret the move.

Whether right or wrong, Derik Queen took it personally.

Queen clearly didn't like the way Atlanta handled the situation, and understandably so. Getting traded on draft night must be deflating.

After the first matchup this season between the Hawks and Pelicans, the Atlanta Falcons took to social media to troll Queen after his team lost.

It wasn't for no reason, however, as the Falcons were simply standing up for their NBA counterpart. At the end of the matchup, well after New Orleans had accepted defeat, Queen stole the ball in the final seconds and went the length of the floor for a dunk.

He broke the unwritten rule.

The rookie took notice of their post quickly. He interacted with it in a bold way, marking the date on the schedule for when he next faces the Atlanta Hawks, hinting at some sort of revenge game.

Well, January 7th arrived, and Queen's revenge game didn't exactly go according to plan. Not only did the Pelicans suffer a beatdown from start to finish, but Queen was largely ineffective from the field.

He finished the night with just 6 points on 3/9 from the field. Atlanta's big men had their way with Queen, attacking him on defense and forcing him into poor looks.

The rookie needed this lesson. While he brought plenty of intrigue to an otherwise lopsided matchup, his inability to back up his talk proves he's still got a long way to go.