When the Charlotte Hornets out of nowhere decided to add LaMelo Ball to their trading block, no one truly expected the Hornets to trade their young All-Star, but when the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors gained interest, the curiosity into what they could get for Ball got the better of the Hornets’ front office.
The Full Trade Broken Down…
Less than 12 hours ago, the Timberwolves and Hornets agreed to a 1-1 team trade, sending LaMelo Ball to Minnesota to pair up with Anthony Edwards, both top picks in the 2020 draft, while the Hornets received a bundle of picks and Naz Reid, the former 6th man of the year, in return.
This might have been quite a random deal, but all the actions on the Hornets’ end were justified, and when LaMelo Ball caught wind of Charlotte considering trading him, despite being ecstatic for the 2026-27 season to start, he immediately knew that he was going to get traded and took action, unfollowing them on Instagram and reportedly preparing himself.
The Minnesota Timberwolves Needed LaMelo Ball
After the Timberwolves failed to get Giannis Antetokounmpo and stopped pursuing Memphis’ Ja Morant, they ended up on LaMelo Ball, who was thought to be off the table for trades, but as soon as the Charlotte Hornets opened up offers for their superstar, the Minnesota Timberwolves instantly threw theirs in, and ended up winning.
Overall on both sides, this was a good deal, and I would grade this trade an A on both ends, with Minnesota capitalising on young talent and pairing up Anthony Edwards with a 2nd scorer and playmaker after they departed with Julius Randle, and Charlotte continues the rebuild with more draft capital.
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, pairing up Anthony Edwards with a true star is what the Wolves have been looking for, and getting Josh Green in the deal. LaMelo Ball has 3-years left on his max rookie extension worth about $130 million. With both players’ contracts, this pushes Minnesota $5 million over the luxury cap.
Even though the guard situation in Minnesota is one of the best in team history, the frontcourt is looking depleted. After trading Julius Randle and departing with Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert is looking at a tough job of starting the frontcourt, with no clear backup to replace him.
The Charlotte Hornets Get a Huge Relief
On the Charlotte Hornets end, I reported this morning that the Hornets are looking to rebuild around their 2 new stars, Brandon Miller and Kon Kneuppel, over LaMelo Ball, leading them to trade away his massive contract for significantly less than they received, leaving them with a $40.7 million trade exception, the largest in NBA history.
This not only allows the Hornets to absorb a bigger contract down the line, but it also creates over $20 million for the current payroll, allowing the team to sign free agents and pay their younger stars with their much-deserved extensions, as well as deck out the coaching staff.
Adding Naz Reid to their roster immediately, adding to their frontcourt depth and allowing the team to make more flexible decisions around him, as Naz Reid’s 5-year, $150 million deal is known as the league’s best contract. They do lose LaMelo as their primary star, but with more money and assets, they could go t for a bigger star this offseason.
If you enjoyed this breakdown, then please check out our other articles here and follow us on X for daily news and updates.