FIRST TAKE | “Dumbest trade” – Stephen A.: Pelicans trading up for Derik Queen was ‘Luka-level’ bad

FIRST TAKE | “Dumbest trade” – Stephen A.: Pelicans trading up for Derik Queen was ‘Luka-level’ bad

with the NBA’s twoight draft now complete some key dates to keep in mind as teams can begin free agent negotiations Monday 6 Eastern free agent officially begins at noon the following Sunday that’s July the 6th summer League kicks off in Utah July 5th runs through the 20th in Vegas regular season begins just over 3 months later in late October the 21st to be precise we welcome in our guy Brian Winhorse kind enough to stick around although it is 50/50 in that union shop if you will not be picked up and taken away along with the uh signage behind you Wendy i appreciate it i have to hit it one more time
what’s going on in Utah
ace Bailey selected there and look I like him maybe more than others do he can really play he can really make buckets but there was so much question about does he want to be there like what what’s your sense of that okay so he very clearly was trying to guide himself to certain places in the draft and he very clearly didn’t have Utah on that list now Jonathan Gavone reported earlier that at least one of the teams in the top five was told and maybe more than one but we know at least one was told “If you draft my client he is not going to report.” Okay he did not go to Utah today walter Clayton their other firstround draft pick did go to Utah today now the Jazz have said that’s not an issue they allow their players to go their new players to go home but he will be expected to be there on Monday when their summer league training camp begins so let’s see but I’m one thing I will tell you with confidence danny A and his son Austin are not going to bend here they are not going to get pushed around they do not care with what this situation might bring so the idea that they are going to pressure the Jazz into something I don’t think will be successful for Ace Bailey and his operation but let’s see how the next 72 hours plays out
i want to just follow with this because again I watched him play a ton for Ruckers and I like him but this seems kind of ridiculous to me like he’s good but he’s not this good to be trying to dictate to people don’t take me like what the hell is that well look first off let me just say maybe he goes to Utah is at that first practice on Monday and is ready to go and everything is fine but I will just say the Jazz pretty much tanked last season and then they got terrible luck in the lottery to go all the way back to fifth they were hoping to get one of those top two picks then they had the circumstances come out where one of the top three most talented players on most people’s to let a talented player like that go by so they’ve got to do it and if it leads to a couple of weeks or a couple of months hopefully not of a little bit uncomfort they will deal with it because that’s what they have to do as organization right now i can only imagine the text threads that you have and who’s on them from around the league as the draft’s going on like can you believe this holy crap what was the move in these two days and I can probably guess what it was that had people just trying to figure out what’s what’s the rationale for this okay let’s talk about the Pelicans let’s draw a line though first off they got Jeremiah Fears and Derek Queen those are two lottery picks they added a lot of talent to their roster and if Queen ends up being a strong pick and ends up being a significant player which many people think that he will be this could end up being a footnote as soon as they made the fierce pick Joe Dumar and his staff began calling teams behind them at 8 9 10 11 12 13 to try to get back into the draft and they were able to do that they could accomplish their goal what’s been reacted to in the league with some wild stuff on my phone Scott has been the price that they paid to move up the 10 spots from the 23rd pick to the 13th pick mostly because there is concern over whether the Milwaukee Bucks are what what is going to be on their roster a year from now and there is uncertainty about whether the Pelicans are going to be a team that has a playoff level roster for next year and the the Atlanta Hawks will get the more favorable of those two picks next year some people think that that will leave these Pelicans looking foolish and the Pelicans believe they have gotten a terrific player that will everybody will forget what the price was we’ll wait and find out and that’s one of the things that’s makes the draft great
i agree and I recuse myself here because DQ is my guy and I’m gonna be rooting for him so hopefully things go well for him in New Orleans but time will ultimately be the judge as it always is brian until we meet again be well my friend i appreciate your time throughout the season you’re the best all right they didn’t take him away thank goodness
i got no problem with what Utah did danny Ang and obviously his son know what they’re doing ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr when the way I saw Walter Clayton Jr play during the NCAA tournament and win a n leading Florida to national championship i like what they do i’m a big fan of Jeremiah Fears out of Oklahoma i love the fact that the Pelicans pick somebody like him up i think that he has Kyrie Irving potential he’s got to develop a shot but my lord that brother can handle the rock and he’s spectacular in the open court i love watching him play let me transition to the Pelicans since I brought them up and I want to play this sound for you from Bill Simmons because Bill Simmons was on a podcast and he was talking about the Pelicans and what the Pelicans elected to do with with with you know moving up you know trading up to get uh this kid Queen out of Maryland and what have you with Atlanta i mean Joe Dumar is getting criticized heavily about making this decision i want you to listen to what Bill Simmons had to say and I want you to react to that play this for me guys this was when I lost my mind i think I blacked out i’m so glad the NBA can still give us these new Orleans trades up 10 spots so they could take Derrick Queen and they give up their unprotected 2026 first round pick swap that they have with Milwaukee where they have the favorable whatever the better pick is they keep they send that to Atlanta who had to be deliriously happy like we only have to move down 10 spots and we get an unprotected this was one of the five dumbest trades of this decade i I was speechless i just can’t believe it and who is it it’s our guy Joe Dumars and now he just traded away their unprotected 2026 pick house they’re in the West what the does he think’s going to happen next year is he thinking they’re going to be a five seed what is he doing they should have shot in the Hawks war room as guys are taking their shirts off and doing this and popping champagne on each other they might have the championship belt now of biggest mess of a team i think this is it i think giving away next year’s first round pick and making it unprotected i think they grab the belt before you comment Wendy I would tell you this it was risky no doubt and Bill Simmons certainly was it certainly was making some sense i like Queen cuz I watched him during the NCAA tournament didn’t mind didn’t pay much attention to the fact that the Pelicans had moved up to get him that’s a good point cuz you’re in the West what do you think you’re going to do next year i think it was insurance in case Zion Williamson goes out even though he’s not the player that Zion Williamson is I think it was insurance in that regard but I also want to say this this is the same Joe Dumar yes he made a huge huge mistake uh by by not drafting Carmelo Anthony years ago because he had Taan Prince at that small forward spot um and and and and drafted someone else number two but he did go to six conference f six consecutive conference finals back-to back NBA finals appearances um and won a championship that’s the same Joe Joe Dumar we’re talking about here so I just wanted to throw that out before I let you comment about the decision that Joe Dumar had to make what could you tell us about this decision
yeah let’s draw a line here on the Pelicans on one side let’s point out that they walk away from this draft with Jeremiah Fears and Derek Queen um from a from a talent standpoint any team would be happy with that and I think you have to evaluate that as their draft night where people are getting on them is the price that they paid to move up from the 23rd pick to the 13th pick um and specifically that it gives the Hawks an opportunity to either have the Bucks pick next year which I’m not sure what the Bucks are going to look like right now next year maybe they’ll be a playoff team i don’t know what they’re going to look like and the Pelicans who have not been a play a reliable playoff team in the West and the Western Conference is is a is a beast so I’m I’m not gonna lie to you Stephen a I had executives text me today saying that this was the worst draft day trade since Luca Donuch um so but that’s looking at the value of the trade that’s not looking at the value of the player what you are seeing here people are talking about Joe Dumar you’re seeing here right now is the imprint of Troy Weaver troy Weaver who was the general manager in Detroit last year he spent the year working with the Wizards and he has been hired to be Joe Dumar’s right-hand man look at what they’ve done the last two lit two days they traded they did a deal with the Wizards where they traded for Jordan Pool
right
you don’t think they have insight into Jordan Pools troy Weaver was there every day okay the second thing is Troy Weaver is from Washington DC in fact it was Troy Weaver that recruited Carmelo Anthony to Syracuse all those years ago he lives at Washington DC troy Weaver’s son works for the University of Maryland program who knows how many games Troy Weaver was at to see Derek Queen
i’m not saying Joe Dumar wasn’t in love with Derek Queen but this is Troy Weaver who yeah he had some mistakes in Detroit but he also built the bones of that team that is now taken off and he also helped build the bones of the first uh contending team that they’ve had in Oklahoma City so um I think it’s it’s both fair to say they walked out of this draft with a great two picks in the top in the lottery and yet also left themselves exposed to next season they are now going to play next season with a little bit of a cloud hanging over their head because if they have a bad year if Zion gets hurt again and misses a bunch of games
and they end up back at the lottery they are in big trouble of having egg on their face but let’s let’s first watch Derek Queen before we admit that try to you know brand this as a terrible decision totally fair i only got a couple of minutes left Wendy let’s get right to it winners and losers in this draft give me your winners and then give me your losers well you me you mentioned the Spurs um uh the wing that they drafted Carter Bryant like I I am not a draft expert but I have people that are who have compared him to OG Anobi so you get Dylan Harper and that type of 3 and D wing defender which are always in um in vital uh demand in the NBA i think they have to feel good about themselves i think the Hawks feel good about themselves number one again I am not a draft expert i’m not going to sit here and give you the finer points of Asa Newle’s game but nobody that I saw had him outside the top 20 a lot of people had him inside the top 15 they get him at 23 while also getting this valuable asset from the Pelicans a day after they got Chris Epsorzing for a song they traded a pick to get him that’s why I included in the draft um and they have a $20 million trade exception that they’re going hunting for i think the Hawks in the Eastern Conference where we’re seeing some teams have to take a step back due to injuries are potentially in the process of taking a step forward so the Hawks and and the um and the Spurs uh to me and and and also I’m going to give the Jazz some credit here um you mentioned Walter Clayton i I can’t compare Walter Clayton to the other guys taken around him i’m not that kind of expert but I watched the NCAA tournament and I’d want that guy on my team
they liked him they moved up three spots to get him they went into the draft saying we want Walter Clayton
and obviously Ace Bailey is one of the most talented players in the draft utah is got they are bereft of of m of uh impact players and they drafted two guys with the potential to be impacts in different ways so I think I I would say Utah had a good night as well
last question phoenix your thoughts about them it’s one thing to get to to draft this Malawich out of Duke who I like i love that pick by Phoenix so I thought that was good uh giving up a first round pick for Mark Williams who failed the physical supposedly when the Lakers had traded Dalton Connect and a few other assets in order to acquire him uh giving up a number one pick although it’s in 2029 and it’ll probably be a lower first round pick in all likelihood at least that’s Phoenix’s thinking i I I I I I found myself a bit befuddled by that because you traded away Kevin Durant in a quest to get assets and you’re looking to to get assets uh because of the assets that you gave away over the last few years i didn’t think that was necessary last quick comment what are your thoughts about Phoenix and what they did
yeah I mean it’s almost like what do they know that the Lakers don’t know about Mark Williams because they actually gave two first round picks they gave the 29th pick in last night’s draft and the 20 2029th pick point i think not super duper valuable but nonetheless um
I will say this Phoenix because they don’t control their draft they have to compete they have to put the gas down they can’t tank and they’ve got Devin Booker and everything like that so I understand the concept of drafting a guy who can be your starting center today and then drafting a player in Kan Maluatch who is probably going to be a year or two away from being ready to be your starting center if things go well i get that concept but they did kind of pay in fact they paid more looking at it a certain way they kind of paid more than the Lakers did the Lakers traded a pick and a swap they traded two firsts albeit one of first was late so they have put themselves in a position where Mark Williams better pass that physical and Mark Williams better um come in and and help them um it is was a little bit curious but people are acting like it’s strange to get two centers i get that malu watch is not ready to play right now um but
right the Suns aren’t going to get the benefit of the doubt that’s the bottom line
one and only Brian Windows appreciate the great work all year my man you take it easy get some time off it’s welld deserved but I’m sure we’ll be talking to each other in the next few days and weeks considering all is expected to go on in the NBA over the next few days or so so you take it easy all right
forward to it and I enjoyed spending so much time with you during the playoffs
take it easy Brian we’ll talk later buddy coming up will a polit [Music] [Music] All right [Music] foreign speech foreign speech where are you [Applause] don’t try You ready congratulations [Music] yeah we get another way yeah

FIRST TAKE | “Dumbest trade” – Stephen A.: Pelicans trading up for Derik Queen was ‘Luka-level’ bad