The 2025 NBA Draft officially brought closure to one of the Sacramento Kings’ more short-sighted moves in recent memory. It completed a trade that Kings fans likely won't look back upon fondly, even if the player they received in return had his moments.
The Atlanta Hawks have used the No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Maryland big man Derik Queen, officially finalizing the full terms of the 2022 trade that sent Kevin Huerter to Sacramento. Queen was then shipped to New Orleans in a wild deal that saw the Pelicans send an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to Atlanta.
That first-round pick was top-12 protected in 2025, but after the Kings failed to move up in the lottery, it officially conveyed to Atlanta, three years after the deal was made.
Huerter once looked like a perfect fit for the Kings’ young core, but the final results of the trade tell a different story. And with the 13th pick gone, the last tangible piece of the deal has ultimately been determined.
Updated Kevin Huerter trade details after latest draft pick
Kings received:
- Kevin Huerter
Hawks received:
- Derik Queen (traded to New Orleans for draft rights to Asa Newell and a 2026 first-round pick)
- Justin Holiday
- Maurice Harkless
The Kings acquired Huerter from the Atlanta Hawks back in July 2022, sending out Justin Holiday, Maurice Harkless, and the protected first-round pick in question.
The move was widely praised at the time, as Sacramento looked to surround De’Aaron Fox and the newly acquired Domantas Sabonis with shooters who could thrive in former head coach Mike Brown’s offense.
For a while, it seemed like it worked. Huerter played a major role during Sacramento’s breakout 2022–23 season, averaging 15.2 points per game on over 40 percent shooting from three while starting 75 games.
His smooth shooting touch and relentless off-ball movement helped power one of the league’s top offenses and contributed to the Kings ending their 16-year playoff drought. Unfortunately, Huerter's career in Sacramento can be seen as emblematic of the short-lived "Beam Team" era.
Huerter’s production and efficiency dipped the following year, while a shoulder injury that required surgery ended his season prematurely. By the time the 2024-25 season rolled around, Huerter looked like a shell of his former self, shooting just 30% from three-point range before being shipped to Chicago.
The Kings sent him to the Bulls as part of the same three-team blockbuster that also sent De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs and brought Zach LaVine to Sacramento. In total, the Kings gave up a valuable first-round pick for 182 games of Huerter and just one playoff appearance.
With Huerter gone and the No. 13 pick used to help another team, the Kings are left with nothing to show for a deal that once looked like a win-now steal. Instead, all it is now is another costly misstep for a team struggling to remain relevant in a loaded Western Conference.