New Orleans Pelicans first-round pick Derik Queen underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks, the team announced on Friday. Queen, the No. 13 overall pick out of Maryland in last month’s NBA Draft, suffered the injury against the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this week.
The 12-week timeline puts Queen’s evaluation right around the time training camp is typically in full swing and preseason games begin.
The Pelicans took a big swing by trading up 10 spots from pick No. 23 to select Queen and paid a hefty price to land the star big man by giving up an unprotected 2026 first-round pick in the process. The Pelicans also drafted Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick.
Queen appeared in three games in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.1 minutes per game. During his time at Maryland, Queen was known as an offensive engine. During the summer league, the Pelicans allowed Queen to handle the rock more on the perimeter, which gave him valuable reps on the ball.
Queen turned the ball over seven times in his debut and eight times against the Trail Blazers. His best game in Las Vegas came against Portland, in which he finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
