New Orleans Pelicans General Manager Joe Dumars made headlines in the summer of 2025 when he traded their 2026 draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks for their lottery pick, which was used to select college standout Derik Queen.
Queen has shown flashes of greatness during his rookie season, but Atlanta had their sights set on Newell, who they selected with the 23rd pick of the first round. He has been a perfect fit in the Hawks' system, and we’re still discovering new wrinkles to his game.
Coming out of UGA, he was ridiculed for his poor shooting from three (28%), but he’s shown rapid growth in his first season.