LaMelo Ball's Future With Hornets Becoming More Complicated Amid Trade Talk

The Charlotte Hornets were viewed as potential playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2025-26 NBA campaign, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

The Hornets are just 7-17 on the season, which is actually the same exact record they had at this point last year. So thus far, they have shown absolutely no progression.

That isn't a great sign for a team that appeared to be on the right track in its rebuild, and much of it has to do with LaMelo Ball regressing.

Ball entered the season knowing that it was pivotal year for him. Yes, he already landed his big contract, but in terms of his reputation and establishing himself as a part of Charlotte's future, he needed to deliver.

Instead, Ball has once again dealt with injury issues and is averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 28.5 percent from three-point range in 16 games.

His true-shooting percentage is 50.7 percent, a career low by a significant margin. He is posting .069 win shares per 48 minutes. His defense has been as bad as ever.

Ball was viewed as a potential trade candidate going into the season, but with the former No. 3 overall pick under contract through 2029 and making $38 million this year and then $40.8 million, $43.6 million and $46.4 million over the next three seasons, finding a trade partner will be incredibly difficult for the Hornets.

When healthy, Ball has been impressive for much of his NBA career. While he has never been the most efficient scorer in the world, his immense talent has always been palpable. He posted 25.2 points per game in 47 contests last year and was an All-Star as soon as his sophomore campaign back in 2021-22.

The problem is that Ball's growth has stagnated. His three-point shot has abandoned him, and he is not getting to the free-throw line as much as most anticipated.

Ball's playmaking ability is still there, and he is still just 24 years old. So there is certainly hope for him to find himself.

But good luck getting anything of significant value for a guy who has played 70 games just once in his career and hasn't even appeared in 50 contests since 2021-22. Throw in his poor shot selection and his subpar defense, and you have a recipe for disaster in terms of finding a trade.

Perhaps at this point, the Hornets just have to hope that Ball fixes his problems and becomes a franchise player. Because trading him at this point would be a tough pill to swallo.