In New Orleans, a franchise quietly declared its intentions — not through trades or splashy acquisitions, but through the quieter act of keeping what it has grown. The Pelicans exercised contract options on center Yves Missi and rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, three young players whose early careers suggest a team being built from the inside out. Under new executive Joe Dumars, the organization enters a new season with a rare organizational virtue: patience rewarded by evidence.
Pelicans Lock in Future with Missi, Fears, Queen Option Exercises
Three young players locked in, one season to prove the bet was right
Mark
So the Pelicans are keeping all three of these guys. What does that actually tell us about where the team is headed?
Mimi
It tells you the front office believes in what they saw last year. Fears and Queen both played heavy minutes as rookies and didn't fall apart—they actually made All-Rookie second team. That's not nothing. And Missi has been steady in a reserve role. These aren't flashy moves, but they're saying we trust this foundation.
Luke
But let's be precise about what we're seeing. These are option exercises, not extensions. The Pelicans are committing to keeping them for one more year at predetermined salaries. That's different from saying they're building a dynasty around these guys.
Mimi
True, but in the context of Joe Dumars' first year as EVP, it's a statement. He could have let any of these options expire. He didn't.
Mark
What about Missi specifically? He's averaging 7.5 points. Is that really a starting center?
Mimi
He's averaging 7.5 in limited minutes—23 a game. The Pelicans are projecting him as the starter this season, which means they expect his role to expand. The rebounding and defense are already there.
Luke
And we should note: he's only played 139 games total. There's still a lot of uncertainty about whether he can handle starter's minutes and responsibilities. The option exercise is a bet on that potential, not a confirmation of it.
Mark
What about Fears and Queen—are they the future backcourt and frontcourt?
Mimi
They're part of it. Both showed they could contribute as rookies, which is rare. But the Pelicans still have other pieces on the roster. These exercises are about securing the young talent, not necessarily saying these three are the core.
Luke
And Queen's two triple-doubles as a rookie—that's a real accomplishment, but it's also a small sample. One season doesn't make a player. The Pelicans are betting on trajectory, which is reasonable, but it's still a bet.
O Pulso
- The Pelicans face a pivotal window — young talent is cheap now, but the clock on affordable roster control is already ticking.
- Fears and Queen both earned All-Rookie second team honors in their debut season, with Fears dropping 20-plus points 17 times and Queen becoming the only rookie to record multiple triple-doubles.
- Missi anchors the interior with 139 games of experience, 1.4 blocks per night, and 19 double-doubles — the kind of quiet reliability franchises build defenses around.
- New executive VP Joe Dumars oversaw his first full season with this core and responded by locking all three in before the season opener, a clear vote of confidence in the direction.
- The Pelicans open Wednesday night at home against Indiana — a season beginning not with uncertainty about who belongs, but with a roster that already knows its own identity.
In New Orleans, a franchise quietly declared its intentions — not through trades or splashy acquisitions, but through the quieter act of keeping what it has grown. The Pelicans exercised contract options on center Yves Missi and rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, three young players whose early careers suggest a team being built from the inside out. Under new executive Joe Dumars, the organization enters a new season with a rare organizational virtue: patience rewarded by evidence.
The New Orleans Pelicans made their intentions clear on Tuesday, exercising contract options on center Yves Missi and first-year guards Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen — locking in the young core that defined their past season and signaling confidence in what the organization is building.
Missi, a 2024 first-round pick out of Baylor, has already carved out a dependable role in the league. Across 139 games and 81 starts, he averaged 7.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in just over 23 minutes per night, adding 19 double-doubles along the way. The Pelicans see him as their starting center, and the option exercise makes that vision official.
Fears and Queen arrived together in the 2025 draft and wasted little time justifying their selections. Fears, the seventh overall pick from Oklahoma, played all 82 games and scored in double figures 59 times — reaching 20 or more on 17 occasions — finishing with averages of 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Queen, taken 13th out of Maryland, matched him in durability and versatility, averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while recording two triple-doubles — a feat no other rookie achieved last season. Both earned spots on the NBA's All-Rookie second team.
The decisions came under Joe Dumars, who joined the franchise as executive vice president of basketball operations and guided his first full season with this group in place. With the season opener against Indiana arriving Wednesday night, the Pelicans step forward with something harder to manufacture than talent: organizational clarity.
The New Orleans Pelicans made their commitment official on Tuesday, exercising contract options on three young players who shaped the team's trajectory over the past eighteen months. The moves locked in center Yves Missi for a fourth year, while securing guard Jeremiah Fears and forward Derik Queen through their third seasons—a straightforward signal that the organization believes in what it has built.
Missi, selected 21st overall from Baylor in 2024, has already logged substantial minutes in the league. Through his first two seasons, he appeared in 139 games with 81 starts, establishing himself as a reliable interior presence. He averaged 7.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while playing just over 23 minutes nightly, adding 1.4 blocks and accumulating 19 double-doubles. The Pelicans view him as their starting center moving forward, and the option exercise reflects that role.
Fears and Queen arrived together in the 2025 draft and made immediate impacts as rookies, both earning spots on the NBA's All-Rookie second team. Fears, taken seventh overall out of Oklahoma, played all 82 games in his first season with 49 starts. He scored in double figures 59 times, including 17 games where he reached 20 points or more. His season totals read 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 25.8 minutes per game. Queen, the 13th pick from Maryland, appeared in 81 games with 48 starts, averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 25 minutes nightly. He recorded two triple-doubles as a rookie—a distinction no other first-year player matched last season.
These exercises came under the watch of Joe Dumars, who arrived as executive vice president of basketball operations and oversaw the team's first season with this young core in place. The Pelicans' front office had reason to feel confident about the trajectory. Fears and Queen both showed they could handle substantial playing time without shrinking from the moment, while Missi provided the kind of foundational interior defense and rebounding that teams build around.
The timing placed these announcements just before the Pelicans' season opener at home against Indiana on Wednesday night, a moment when the organization could point to its investments and move forward with clarity about who would be part of the next phase.
Citações Notáveis
Both Fears and Queen produced while receiving ample playing time as rookies in the team's first season with Joe Dumars serving as executive vice president of basketball operations.— NBA.com reporting
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