Atlanta Hawks‘ two-way stud Dyson Daniels hasn’t been meek when discussing his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans. In a report from Yahoo’s Jake Fischer last December, he had quite the call-out to the franchise.
“That organization's cursed, every year there's something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore,” Daniels said. “I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There's something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don’t know what it is.”
At the time, the statement could’ve been dismissed as sour grapes. Daniels was a young player who hadn’t lived up to his No. 8 overall pick billing thus far, and Pelicans fans were starting to grow impatient.
Fast-forward to today, and that statement may never be more true. New Orleans made a daring (some would say absurd) trade-up with Atlanta to select Maryland center Derik Queen with the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Now Queen is out with a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, and will miss at least 12 weeks after surgery.
New Orleans slips, Atlanta soars
The news is a gut-punch for Pelicans fans. Not only had their team been publicly criticized for the trade to acquire Queen, but the former “Crab Five” member in college had starred in Summer League. He averaged 14.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 block per game across New Orleans’ four-game slate.
For Atlanta, they welcomed the chance to trade back in a talent-rich first round, collecting an unprotected 2026 first-round pick before selecting Georgia forward Asa Newell at No. 23 overall. Newell has wasted no time in making an impact, leading the Hawks to a perfect 4-0 Summer League record. His strength as a play-finisher and agile big gives Atlanta what it needs alongside Trae Young. A fluid defender and developing offensive player, he profiles as a capable bench player in a strong Hawks rotation.
New Orleans’ injury luck has been poor over the last number of years. Numerous setbacks for superstar Zion Williamson have stalled seasons where the Pelicans showed promise, only to fall back into the Play-In Tournament or out of the postseason entirely.
Key rotation players, including former Pelicans Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, also missed extended periods of time, leading to more questions than answers for new Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars. The team has been defined by what could’ve been rather than what was.
Now, Queen could return when the timetable is up (mid-October) and not miss a beat. But the oft-injured recent history in the Big Easy is nothing to scoff at, and a sign that Atlanta may have pulled off a win before the season even begins.