Former College Basketball Star in Tears as Injury Keeps Him Out for At Least 12 Weeks

Former College Basketball Star in Tears as Injury Keeps Him Out for At Least 12 Weeks originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

In a rather familiar situation, the New Orleans Pelicans will be without their top rookie for the next few months due to injury.

Derik Queen — whom the Pelicans traded for after being selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — underwent surgery on Friday to repair the wrist injury he sustained during a Summer League game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now, according to the Pelicans, the former Maryland Terrapins star will be "re-evaluated in approximately 12 weeks." However, that means Queen's next evaluation will come just before the 2025-26 NBA season kicks off on October 21.

It's also worth noting that while Queen will be evaluated in three months, it doesn't mean he will be ready to return after that. Because of the recovery timeline of his injury, the 20-year-old center is slated to miss the preseason and some valuable preparation time. That being said, it's possible that Queen misses the start of the campaign as he gets himself back into game condition.

Minutes after the Pelicans announced his successful surgery and injury timeline, Queen took to social media to share his reaction to the news. While he didn't write any words, he shared several crying emojis — a clear indication of his sadness and disappointment.

😢😢😢😢

— derik queen (@derikqueen1) July 18, 2025

The Pelicans traded the 23rd pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to acquire Derik Queen from the Hawks on draft night. Naturally, expectations are high that he could make an immediate impact on the team.

Queen is coming off a brilliant one-and-done season with the Terrapins, averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 36 games played. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was a member of the All-Big Ten First Team.

With Queen leading the way, Maryland reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. For now, though, the Pelicans will have to wait to see some of that magic from their rookie.

Related: Former College Basketball Star Dealt Unfortunate News Before NBA Rookie Season

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.