The Pelicans, who just had the seventh overall pick, traded their unprotected first to the Atlanta Hawks. After selling a valuable asset to move up 10 spots in the draft, surely the team had a plan.
Right?
Joe Dumars has revealed there is no master plan; in fact, there is no expectation to even make the playoffs this season. When asked if he expected to make the postseason this year after mortgaging the future for Derik Queen, of all players, Dumars responded, "No, I'm just trying to build a deep team. I'm not putting that expectation on anyone... It wasn't like, 'okay, we made this trade, I expect to make the playoffs.' That's shortsighted to me."
While it is admirable that Dumars prioritizes the future, this quote clearly shows his valuation of the Pelicans' future is misguided. This New Orleans team should not be prioritizing depth, certainly not over retaining their own unprotected pick.
Is Dumars a secret agent for Atlanta?
While Dumars can claim to value the future, his actions speak louder than his words. He did not value the future in this trade. He instead made a short-sighted move to acquire a player who he thinks is worth two first round picks: the 2025 23rd pick (Asa Newell) and a 2026 lottery pick.
Perhaps this would make sense if he drafted LeBron James or Cooper Flagg. Instead, he drafted a guy who almost fell out of the lottery entirely. To make matters worse, Queen looked far from NBA-ready during summer league competition. While it is obviously rash to be out on a player after their summer league debut, Queen did not look like he belonged on the floor.
To put this move into context, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports claimed that this pick might be the best pick ever to be traded. If you trade the best pick ever to be traded, you'd better get a player worthy of a similar title. Queen has many standout traits, but where does he fit on an NBA court?
More importantly for Dumars, where does Queen fit next to New Orleans star Zion Williamson?
The two big men share the same weaknesses: they struggle to keep up in space on defense, have questionable three-point shooting, and their value decreases exponentially when they don't have the ball in their hands.
So, where does Queen fit next to Williamson? The answer is he doesn't. While Queen may blossom into a star like his biggest fans (Dumars included) predict, this seems unlikely when playing next to a star with redundant strengths and weaknesses.
Dumars' own lack of faith in the squad he paid so much for is telling. Atlanta's extra 2026 pick is going to be a blessing nobody could have predicted.