Queen joins Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole and 7th overall pick Jeremiah Fears in New Orleans.
Derik Queen’s meteoric rise from a five-star recruit to Maryland men’s basketball star to NBA lottery pick in just over 16 months is complete. The New Orleans Pelicans traded an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 for the draft rights to the 20-year-old big man in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Derik Queen is headed to New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/TpcoyHP7ka
— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) June 26, 2025
Queen dazzled during his lone season in College Park, averaging 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game on his way to becoming the Terps’ first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Year winner. He delivered a memory Maryland fans will remember for years to come in his second-to-last collegiate game, draining a game-winning buzzer beater to beat No. 13-seed Colorado State and send the Terps to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
Now he teams up with Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole and 7th overall pick Jeremiah Fears in New Orleans, who finished 21-61 last season — good for 14th in the Western Conference.
Queen is Maryland’s first lottery pick since Jalen Smith was selected 10th overall in 2020, and the Terps’ first draft pick since Aaron Wiggins in 2021.