New Orleans center Derik Queen will be out for 12 weeks after suffering a torn ligament in his wrist, leaving fans to wonder if the Pelicans are cursed.

Between the final pick of the 2025 NBA Draft last month and the final few games of NBA Summer League this week, we've seen a sample size of this year's rookies that, I'll freely admit, is far too small to draw any sweeping conclusions from.

No.7 pick Jeremiah Fears and No. 13 pick Derik Queen both played major roles as for the Pelicans but No. 16 pick Yang Hansen and the Portland Trail Blazers emerged with a 93-86 victory.

New broke on Friday afternoon that New Orleans Pelicans rookie forward/center Derik Queen recently had surgery on his left wrist to repair a torn scapholunate ligament, a ligament important for wrist movement and mobility. Even if it is on his non-shooting hand, the Pelicans will play it safe and re-evaluate him in 12 weeks.

As he has admired Derik Queen’s rebounding, passing and physical presence in two Summer League games, New Orleans Pelicans coach Corey Brewer already sees the early glimpses of a special p