Watch: Jeremiah Fears on video
The New Orleans Pelicans left their two most important young players off the Summer League roster, and the decision looks deliberate. Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, both entering their second seasons, are not in Las Vegas. To my read, that is New Orleans telling you it expects both to open 2026-27 in rotation roles rather than needing another July of reps.
The roster they sent instead makes the point plainly. Of the 16 players on the Las Vegas squad, only Micah Peavy saw meaningful minutes for the Pelicans last season. The headliner is No. 58 pick Jaron Pierre Jr., a New Orleans native and St. Augustine alum who averaged 17.6 points at SMU. It is a development group, not an audition for the top of the depth chart — which is exactly what you field when the top of the depth chart is already settled.
Why it matters
The results have been encouraging on their own terms. Malik Dia scored a game-high-tying 18 in an 81-75 win over the Suns, and Hunter Dickinson posted 21 as New Orleans erased an 18-point deficit to beat the Hornets 95-91. Those are useful reps for the back of the roster and for a staff still taking shape under head coach Jamahl Mosley. They are not the story. The story is who is not playing.
For a franchise whose recent seasons have been defined by who was available, sitting Queen and Fears is a small statement of confidence. Both were rookies worth building minutes around; holding them out of exhibition basketball says the organization would rather protect that runway than pad a summer stat line. The health questions that have followed this roster for years make caution its own kind of plan.
In fantasy terms, the absences are a quiet green light on both sophomores. Fears is positioned for a real on-ball guard role, the kind of usage that carries redraft and dynasty value if the assists and free-throw volume follow. Queen’s path to center minutes looks clear enough that his rebounding-and-scoring profile is worth a mid-round dynasty hold. The Summer League standouts — Dia and Pierre — stay deep-league watch names only.
