It was too good to be true for the Hawks when the New Orleans Pelicans sent them a 2026 unprotected first-round pick to move up 10 spots in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Derik Queen. Atlanta happily moved from No. 13 to No. 23 for that price, considering the pick will be the more favorable between the Pelicans (3-22) and the Bucks (10-15).
Because of the pick that New Orleans gave up, the trade will never be a clear win for the Pelicans, no matter how well Queen does. Fans feel better about it now than they did in June, as Queen is averaging 12.