Rookie center Derik Queen delivered a milestone performance on Monday night in New Orleans, but the Pelicans still fell 117-114 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Queen, 20, finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first rookie center ever to post a 30-point triple-double, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. He added four blocked shots and registered a plus-14 in 33 minutes.
“Special night for him,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “He controlled the boards, ran the offense, and was fantastic on both ends.”
Despite Queen’s breakout, New Orleans slipped to an NBA-worst 3-22. His emergence, however, offers a silver lining for a front office under scrutiny — particularly head of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who traded an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to move up 10 spots and draft Queen at No. 13 in June. If that pick lands in the top three next summer, criticism of the deal is expected to intensify.
Trade possibilities
William Guillory of The Athletic reported that forward Herbert Jones appears more likely to be dealt this season than wing Trey Murphy III, though no move is guaranteed. Guillory added that any trade involving former All-Star Zion Williamson is viewed around the league as more realistic during the offseason.
High-salary guards Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray, along with role players Saddiq Bey and Kevon Looney, could also surface as trade candidates, Guillory wrote.
Separately, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line said five rival teams indicated last week that New Orleans is no longer dismissing inquiries on Jones and Murphy as quickly as it did in previous years.
Injury updates
Poole, sidelined since Nov. 4 by a quad strain, took part in portions of Tuesday’s practice, Borrego said. The 26-year-old guard is expected to participate fully on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, hamstring and adductor issues have limited Williamson to 10 appearances in what was anticipated to be a recovery campaign for the 2019 No. 1 pick, columnist Rod Walker noted in NOLA.com. The Pelicans have struggled with or without the two-time All-Star on the floor.
The Pelicans host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday as they attempt to snap a six-game skid.
Source: Hoops Rumors
