Matthew Hinton/AP
Joe Dumars swears he called the Bulls on draft night last June.
Then again, the Pelicans executive also insisted that he reached out to Toronto at No. 9, the pick that was going to Phoenix at No. 10, Memphis at No. 11 and the Bulls, before someone finally stayed on the line and was willing to be a dance partner.
That’s how Atlanta traded No. 13 and Derik Queen to New Orleans, dropping to No. 23 and getting Asa Newell, but also hitting the big lottery ticket that was the Pelicans’ unprotected first-round pick in 2026.