The New Orleans Pelicans are again managing a young player facing an extended injury absence.
This time it is rookie Derik Queen, who underwent successful surgery to repair what the team called a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. The injury occurred during the Summer League game against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, with Queen expected to be reevaluated in 12 weeks, which would land in mid-October.
That timeline would mean the No. 13 overall pick will miss the majority, if not all, of the team's training camp games and could potentially miss the start of his rookie season. The Pelicans' 2025-'26 schedule has yet to be released, but played their season-opener on Oct. 23 a year ago.
It's a disappointing result for a player that the Pelicans were aggressive to move up and select after an impressive season at Maryland, trading away a 2026 first-rounder to do so. That was just minutes after the team selection Jeremiah Fears at No. 7 overall. Frustrating injury luck was a major factor in the 2024-'25 season that saw the Pelicans win just 21 games. Executive Vice President David Griffin was fired after that result and replaced quickly by NBA Hall of Famer and Louisiana native Joe Dumars, who opted to stick with head coach Willie Green and a majority of the roster.
Queen had some struggle points, but otherwise looked like the player the Pels were hoping to see with averages of 14.1 points and 11 rebounds in three Summer League games, though the Pelicans were 0-3 in those contests.
The Pelicans will close out their Summer League slate without Queen on Friday against the Pacers, with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m.