Did the Charlotte Hornets make the right move by trading LaMelo Ball?
In a Bleacher Report story called "1 Major Question for Every Team After 2026 NBA Offseason," NBA analyst Greg Swartz posed this question for the Charlotte Hornets: Was this the best time to trade LaMelo Ball?
Charlotte traded Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks.
"The Charlotte Hornets were one of the most fun teams to watch over the second half of last season, with LaMelo Ball's play at point guard a major reason why," Swartz wrote. "The Hornets had the league's best overall lineup (min. 500 possessions) according to Cleaning the Glass, with Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté registering a net rating of plus-27.4.
"Deciding to trade Ball (and Bridges) was a bold move, although it could be justified. Ball's 72 games were more than his previous two seasons combined and his shooting (41.8 percent overall) for his career was a weak point. The return for Ball (Naz Reid, unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, three second-round picks) was perhaps too good to pass up, even if it left a hole at point guard. Can Coby White be enough to carry this offense, or will the Hornets regret trading their former All-Star and Rookie of the Year?"
The Hornets never made the playoffs in the Ball era. Ball played in 303 games with Charlotte. He averaged 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game and made one All-Star team (2022).
Ball, 24, also won the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year Award.
Charlotte hasn't made the playoffs since 2016. It will be fascinating to see if the team makes the playoffs next season in Year 1 of the post-Ball era.
Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he was comfortable trading Ball because of Miller and Knueppel.
Miller and Knueppel are now the faces of Charlotte's franchise.
"I’m very comfortable," Peterson said. "[Hornets head coach] Charles [Lee] and I had a conversation with both of them knowing that these trades can be challenging. Sometimes I do think we forget that we’re human beings dealing with this stuff — lives and its emotions. Those guys are friends and they are in the locker room every day. At the same time, Charles and I kind of explained, We believe in you guys, too. You guys are here. We want to continue to see you guys grow. This is going to challenge you guys. You guys got to continue to get better.' We wouldn’t have made that trade if we didn’t feel comfortable with what they can continue to be developing into."
