{"id":139635,"date":"2025-05-15T03:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T07:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=139635"},"modified":"2025-05-15T03:09:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T07:09:15","slug":"maryland-derik-queen-names-5-teams-interviewed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/15\/maryland-derik-queen-names-5-teams-interviewed\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland\u2019s Derik Queen Names 5 Teams He\u2019s Interviewed With"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2025 NBA Draft is just a little over a month away and several prospects have already been put under the microscope. Among the hardest players to place has been Maryland center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/derik-queen-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derik Queen<\/a>. On the one hand, he\u2019s an awesome talent, especially at the offensive end. On the other hand, his physical tools leave something to be desired.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The University of Maryland&#8217;s Derik Queen said he&#8217;s interviewed with the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz here at the NBA Draft Combine. At the combine, NBA officials schedule meetings between prospects and teams.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoshuaBRobbins\/status\/1922725555712958935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Had he been born a couple of decades ago, he would probably be a shoo-in as a top-10 pick. However, it\u2019s far more important that he lands with the right team, especially in this era. That being said, Queen has already interviewed with five teams (h\/t The Athletic reporter Josh Robbins): the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n<h2>Assessing 5 Teams Maryland\u2019s Derik Queen Interviewed With<\/h2>\n<h3>Orlando Magic<\/h3>\n<p>The highest pick that the Magic will have in the upcoming draft is 16th overall.<\/p>\n<p>Queen could be off the board by then but if not, he\u2019ll definitely be among the most talented players remaining. With that in mind, the Magic could take him just to adhere to the <em>best player available<\/em> approach to drafting. However, they\u2019re one of the teams that doesn\u2019t mind their centers getting in on the action offensively. Furthermore, seven-year veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wagnemo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mo Wagner<\/a> has an $11 million team option for 2025-26 and is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/23\/mo-wagner-injury-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">rehabbing a torn ACL<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Atlanta Hawks<\/h3>\n<p>The Atlanta Hawks will have the 13th overall pick in the upcoming draft, courtesy of the Sacramento Kings, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/22\/hawks-target-2025-nba-draft-first-round-pick\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the 22nd overall pick<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As their front office <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/07\/latest-intel-hawks-president-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">is in flux<\/a>, there isn\u2019t a firm idea of how the franchise views their roster. However, they have a clear need for center depth with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/capelca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clint Capela<\/a> likely to leave the team in free agency. Adding Queen would give them a more polished offensive presence than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okongon01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Onyeka Okongwu<\/a>, who supplanted Capela as a starter midway through 2024-25.<\/p>\n<h3>Denver Nuggets<\/h3>\n<p>The Nuggets don\u2019t have a pick in the upcoming draft. However, even if Queen wasn\u2019t making a pointed comment <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/erikslater_\/status\/1922773277442781225\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">when he was comparing his game<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>, they could still try to acquire a first-rounder via trade. With that being said, though Queen isn\u2019t on Jokic\u2019s level right now, he has spellbinding potential.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_139642\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-139642\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-139642\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258-300x199.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258-1024x681.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258-768x510.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258-1200x800.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6258.jpeg 1476w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-139642\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 27, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) attempts a basket against Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) in the second half during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Though he\u2019s not the most explosive center, he\u2019s skilled enough to excel offensively, a la Jokic. Houston Rockets center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sengual01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn<\/a>, who was dominant during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, is another player he compares favorably to. Funny enough, Sengun <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/27\/nikola-jokic-alperen-sengun\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">has been called<\/a> a mini-Jokic.<\/p>\n<h3>Toronto Raptors<\/h3>\n<p>The Toronto Raptors will have the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s still no guarantee that Queen would be on the clock, with the Washington Wizards \u2014who have the sixth overall pick \u2014being linked to the Maryland product. However, the Raptors have good reason to do their homework in the big man. They\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsnet.ca\/nba\/article\/which-raptors-players-could-be-traded-to-move-rebuild-forward\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reportedly leaning towards<\/a> extending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/poeltja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jakob Poeltl<\/a>\u2019s contract (he can opt out in 2026) but it takes two to tango. On top of that, their depth behind Poeltl is lacking, especially if they don\u2019t re-sign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bouchch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Boucher<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Utah Jazz<\/h3>\n<p>The Jazz will have the No. 5, No. 21, No. 43, and No. 53 picks in the impending draft.<\/p>\n<p>Due to how invested they are in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kesslwa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Walker Kessler<\/a>, their interest in Queen is befuddling. It\u2019s even more confusing when considering how well <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/filipky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Filipowski<\/a> played in 2024-25, especially <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/10\/jazz-youngsters-all-rookie-team-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">after the All-Star Break<\/a>. Yet, Utah tends to highlight the skillsets of their centers, and Queen is arguably the best offensive prospect at his position. Furthermore, the Jazz have explored trading Kessler in the past and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/01\/lakers-rumors-potential-offer-for-walker-kessler-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">could continue to do so<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 David Banks-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2025 NBA Draft is just a little over a month away and several prospects have already been put under the microscope. Among the hardest players to place has been Maryland center Derik Queen. On the one hand, he\u2019s an awesome talent, especially at the offensive end. On the other hand, his physical tools leave [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":139645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[556,4,1608,20,62,3,17,14,24,18],"tags":[4293,49871,98,72],"class_list":["post-139635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba-draft","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nuggets","category-nba","category-news","category-magic","category-raptors","category-jazz","category-wizards","tag-alperen-sengun","tag-derik-queen","tag-nba-draft","tag-nikola-jokic"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139635"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139646,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139635\/revisions\/139646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}