The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly trading LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and a whole lot of picks.
From Shams’ Tweet, Josh Green is also going to the Wolves. In return, the Hornets are getting:
- Naz Reid
- 2033 unprotected 1st round pick
- First round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030
- 2nd round picks in 2029, 2032, and 2033
- A $41 million trade exception
It’s a risky move considering LaMelo was one of the catalysts for the Hornets late season surge. It also stings to let such a talented player go, especially when he’s one that was drafted here and developed here.
On the other hand, like I mentioned in the rumors post, I totally understand why the front office would look to sell high on LaMelo while they have the chance. While last season was great, it came with the team handling him and his health with kid gloves. Prior to that, we were talking about how tenable it was to build around LaMelo given his injury history. It doesn’t help seeing the injury issues that plagued his brother, who’s not currently in the league. Plus there are the off court things that never rise to the level of full on distraction but suggest that maybe there are still some issues with maturity and decision making.
We’ll see what the plans are for the rest of the offseason. Re-signing Coby White becomes more paramount now as he seems poised to be the starting point guard, though I don’t think this trade goes through when it does if the Hornets are assured that White is going to sign. I expect that this is the first of several moves, as the Hornets have an absurd number of incoming draft picks and pick swaps to use as ammunition to pick up other players.
