GM Joe Dumars on Derik Queen: "I’d put his IQ in the game up against anybody in this draft"

Ahmed Ghafir
Jun 26
3 min read

Former Maryland center Derik Queen entered the 2025 NBA Draft with a wide window of possible selections, potentially as early as 7 to New Orleans while other mocks noted the former five-star could slip just outside the lottery. But the Pelicans, who selected guard Jeremiah Fears out of Oklahoma, capitalized on their assets to move up in the draft to select Queen with the 13th overall pick.

“When I called Queen on Facetime, the first thing he said was ‘what took you so long?’ I just said I wanted to make you wait a little bit longer,” Pelicans general manager Joe Dumars said following the draft.

Six picks after selecting Fears, the Pelicans traded the 23rd overall pick and a 2026 first-round pick to move into the 13th spot to take Queen off the board. The 23rd pick materialized into Georgia forward Asa Newell, who teamed up with Queen at Montverde.

“Here's what I've said to staff, when you identify a player that you think this can be one of the foundations here, you go and get him. And that's what we did,” Dumars added. “I mean, like we targeted [Derik] Queen. We thought he could be a heck of an addition here and we were really aggressive about going and getting him in this draft.”

“It means a lot to show how much they wanted me, how much they believed in me. I’m just ready to show them like they got their money worth,” Queen said about the trade.

Queen said he “probably talked to [New Orleans] the most” during the pre-draft process, a connection that traces back to College Park with former GA Thomas Weaver, the son of now Pelicans VP Troy Weaver, on the former staff.

“I’m pretty close with Troy Weaver’s son so I used to call him and just make jokes with him about me going to the Pelicans but I’m excited to finally be a Pelican.”

Queen now joins Fears on a revamped Pelicans roster that is days removed from trading CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to Washington for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey, while Zion Williamson returns for his sixth season in the league.

“I can bring winning. I feel like I won everywhere. I can fit in wherever, be a facilitator, scorer, defensive player, whatever. I just want to help the team win and have a long career in New Orleans,” Queen added.

“Obviously I like tough guys, I like that aggressive tough guy, but you got to have an IQ,” Dumars said of Queen. “You can't just be tough and nothing else. And I’d put his IQ in the game up against anybody in this draft. Like this is a super, super high IQ guy finds people has the mentality of a guard, will push it up. He's just got unique skills for a 6-[foot]-10 kid. And that really appealed to me to have someone on the court like that. Look, you call those guys connectors. They can connect everybody on the court with the way they play. Super unselfish. You win with guys like that.”

Despite rising to national stardom after his game-winning buzzer beater vs. Colorado State, Queen made clear that draft night was an unmatched moment as he transitions to the NBA.

“Probably getting my name called because I’m probably going to hit another game winner but I’m never going to get my name called again.”

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