The Charlotte Hornets felt comfortable trading LaMelo Ball because of Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
Charlotte Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Jeff Peterson told Marc J. Spears of Andscape he was comfortable trading LaMelo Ball because of Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
Miller and Knueppel are now the faces of Charlotte's franchise after the Hornets sent Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"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."
The Hornets traded Ball and Josh Green to the Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks.
Charlotte also parted ways with Miles Bridges, sending the forward to the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and a 2033 first-round pick.
The Hornets are expected to start Coby White, Miller, Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabaté next season. That's a strong starting five on paper.
Even though Knueppel didn't win the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Award, he still had a special season for the Hornets. The swingman averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and shot 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from 3 and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He led the NBA in 3s.
Miller appeared in 65 games for the Hornets last season. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 89.2% from the free-throw line.
Charlotte is expected to sign Miller to an extension this offseason.
The Hornets haven't made the playoffs since 2016. It will be fascinating to see if Charlotte makes the playoffs next season in Year 1 of the post-Ball era.
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