After the NBA Draft, New Orleans Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars defended his deal with the Atlanta Hawks, as the Pelicans traded for Derik Queen at No. 13 on Wednesday. While addressing other pressing matters, such as Dejounte Murray calling out the organization in a podcast, Dumars revealed how New Orleans feels about its promising new prospect.

For Dumars, the trade was a no-brainer on draft night, as he explained what the Pelicans saw in the Maryland product and what he told his staff members before pulling the trigger on a move with the Hawks for Derik Queen.

”‘When you identify a player that you think, this can be one of the foundation (pieces) here, you go and get him.’ That’s what we did,” Dumars said. “We targeted Queen.”

Drawing comparisons to Houston Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun, Minnesota Timberwolves' Julius Randle, and sixth man, Naz Reid, Queen is projected to be a very skilled big man. Still, the price the Pelicans paid, their first-round pick at No. 23 (Asa Newell), an unprotected 2026 first-round pick, to select Queen at No. 13, has been a topic of debate the morning after the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday.

Joe Dumars reacts to Dejounte Murray calling out the Pelicans

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Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars responded to Dejounte Murray's criticism of the organization not helping him amid a trying 2024-25 campaign. Dealing with family loss and other complications in his personal life, Murray says not being able to use the team's facilities amid rehab from a season-ending ruptured Achilles only made matters worse.

“He and I had a really good conversation the next morning,” Dumars said. “I asked him, ‘Tell me what’s happening,’ and we had a good, long talk. It won’t be a problem this year. And sometimes, when things like that happen, it’s an opportunity — an opportunity to get better as an organization. I called in the medical staff and said, ‘Let’s talk about DeJounte’s interview. What part of this can we get better at?’

“I’ve been in the league long enough to know: you don’t bury your head. You tackle it head-on. I said, ‘Okay, DeJounte, talk to me—what’s happening?’ Then I turned to the medical staff: ‘Talk to me —what’s going on? Why is he saying this? What’s behind it?’ You deal with it directly. You don’t duck it. You don’t run from it,” Dumars concluded.

Dumars will continue to mend Murray's relationship with the Pelicans organization.