The New Orleans Pelicans were aggressive in their pursuit of former Maryland center Derik Queen. In the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Pelicans moved up

The Pelicans acquired Queen in a draft-night deal with the Atlanta Hawks, who received No. 23 pick Asa Newell and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder in return. Derik Queen’s draft night schedule: 1. Get drafted 2. Update @LinkedIn 😂 pic.twitter.com/I2nag3eck8

It’s only right that friends and family of Derik Queen, who’s famously from Baltimore, gathered Wednesday night for the NBA draft over bushels of crabs. “We’re from Baltimore,” said David Knox, Queen’s great-uncle who sat at the head of a long table inside Parkville’s Urban Crab Shack,