ONE OF the more active teams on the night, the New Orleans Pelicans managed to walk away with three key pieces for the future, including two in the first round after making a trade at the 2025 NBA Draft in Chicago.

The Pelicans missed the playoffs once again and have since made some off-season moves, mainly bringing in Jordan Poole in exchange for CJ McCollum. However, their most aggressive move came on the night of the first round, when New Orleans moved up 10 spots to acquire the 13th overall pick, in exchange for their first round pick next year in an extremely gutsy move.

Although it may have come at the expense of their opening selection for 2026, the Pelicans have added to their core, with their additions from night one set to play a big part as New Orleans searches for its maiden championship.

New Orleans Pelicans

Drafted Players

Jeremiah Fears (pick seven), Derik Queen (pick 13), Micah Peavy (pick 40)

The Pelicans traded away their hand for next year in order to secure the players they were keen on from the 2025 draft class, and were able to add a pair of highly touted prospects on night one, and a defensive draftee in the second round.

With their first pick and the seventh overall, the Pelicans picked up Fears, a point guard from the Oklahoma Sooners who was in contention to be selected in the top five, but fell to New Orleans a couple of picks later.

With the ability to play both guard positions paired with excellent inside scoring, tremendous playmaking and a knack for popping up in clutch moments make him an inspired selection inside the top-10 of the NBA Draft, and as one of the youngest players in the crop, has an immense amount of upside.

The player they traded up for ended up being Queen, and it is easy to see why given the big man’s huge upside and the fact that he is one of the best centers in the draft class. He boasts a unique skillset for his size and position, with a guard-like ability to dribble the ball combine with immense rebounding.

Queen also can score with the best of them, with his one-wood coming in the form of his ability to finish at the cup. He uses his size and physicality to bully his way into the paint, and has impressive touch around the basket. Queen will undoubtedly be the center of the future for New Orleans and should be able to impact immediately.

With their second round selection, the Pelicans added Peavy, a six-foot-seven guard who thrives on making an impact defensively. Older than many of his peers at 24, he should be able to crack his way into the rotation early as a defensive stopper, and may be a steal this late in the draft.

The Pelicans may have taken a big swing with their first-night trade, but they benefited by adding two key pieces for the future in the first round and there is no doubt Fears and Queen are key cogs in their plans for a championship.