New Orleans

Pelicans

Peavy spent the first four seasons of his college career in the Big 12, playing one season at Texas Tech and three at TCU, before transferring to Georgetown for his fifth year. And he exploded as a scorer with the Hoyas, averaging 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds. 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.6 three-pointers in 37 minutes per game. Shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 65.9 percent from the foul line, Peavy led the Big East in steals and earned all-conference honors. The defensive ability and athletic tools make him an intriguing 3-and-D prospect, but Peavy will have to show that he can sustain the perimeter shooting he displayed at Georgetown. New Orleans pushed their chips in with their moves in recent days, and Peavy should be a solid depth piece for them immediately, though there isn’t a clear path to minutes.

The Hawks are sending Queen to the Pelicans for the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first round pick. The 6’10” center from Maryland is one of the more dynamic offensive bigs in this draft. The 20-year-old averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game as a freshman last season. He didn’t test well at the combine, but physical limitations didn’t stop him from being one of the best freshmen in college basketball last season, and he had some clutch moments on the biggest stages, including a game-winner to send Maryland to the Sweet Sixteen. He isn’t a strong defensive prospect, but he has a chance to be a special offensive player. The Pelicans gave up a lot to move up and select Queen, who they could envision playing alongside Zion Williamson in the future.

Sure, there are concerns about Fears after some inefficient play at Oklahoma, but he has loads of potential. Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game as an 18-year-old as the focal point of the offense in arguably the toughest conference in the NCAA. He’s a bit undersized, and there are questions about how he’ll impact the game defensively, but Fears is an intriguing offensive talent with the ability to run an offense and create his own shot, both at the rim and from beyond the arc. There aren’t many players in this draft that can get to the rim like Fears. The fit with the Pelicans is a bit curious given the team just traded for a point guard in Jordan Poole and already had Dejounte Murray.

Borrego is currently the associate head coach of the Pelicans under Willie Green. The 47-year-old Borrego was the Hornets’ head coach for four seasons before he was fired after the 2021-22 season. Borrego is the fourth known person to interview with the Knicks joining Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins and Micah Nori. The Knicks are still looking for a new coach after parting ways with Tom Thibodeau shortly after losing in the Eastern Conference finals.

Bey missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but the 26-year-old forward is expected to be fully ready for the 2025-26 campaign. In four years with the Pistons and Hawks, he sports career averages of 13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 triples. He can be an impactful option in New Orleans as a floor-spacer. Keep an eye on how the Pels’ rotation shapes up, as Bey might be worth a look in the later rounds of fantasy drafts.

The deal sends Poole and Saddiq Bey to the Pels in exchange for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk in addition to pick exchanges. The move makes sense for both sides, as Poole can focus his attention on scoring while Dejounte Murray operates as the team’s primary facilitator. Poole and Bey make the Pels younger, while McCollum offers Washington an expiring deal that can be shed in 2026 when the team will likely try to make a significant move with exorbitant available cap space. Poole should feature prominently in New Orleans’ lineup, and his fantasy value could improve with less pressure on him.

As Charania notes, Washington will pick up McCollum’s expiring deal and position itself to have $100 million in cap space in the summer of 2026. The Wizards will now have veterans McCollum, Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk on the squad for next season, but it’s fair to assume Washington will focus on developing young players like Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George. Still, the Wizards aren’t exactly a deep team, so McCollum could see significant run in the nation’s capital.

The Pacers still hold the 54th pick in this draft, but they no longer have a first-round selection. However, they were able to get their own pick in 2026 back. The Pelicans now have two first-round picks, including pick No. 7. New Orleans will be able to add some young talent this summer, and there are still more moves for them to make. King was selected with the 47th pick in 2023, and after spending time in the G League, he has most recently been playing in New Zealand. This trade won’t change that, unless he ends up returning to the NBA.

While Williamson has shown flashes of the talent many expected him to be when selected first overall in the 2019 draft, there have been availability concerns. He’s surpassed 60 games twice in six seasons in New Orleans, most recently making 30 appearances in 2024-25. Add in the off-court concerns, including Williamson being named in a recent lawsuit accusing him of rape and years of abuse, and it’s fair to question his place within the Pelicans’ hierarchy. Based on his recent comments, Dumars does not appear to share those concerns. “I’ve had really good conversations with Zion,” Dumars said. “We’ve had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We’ve done it all. I’ve had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. We’re going to go forward with Zion. He’s going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.”