Should the Charlotte Hornets trade LaMelo Ball?
A blockbuster LaMelo Ball trade idea where the Charlotte Hornets get four new players and a draft pick has been created.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report created the following trade idea between the Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks:
Dallas Mavericks get: LaMelo Ball
Los Angeles Lakers get: Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford
Charlotte Hornets get: Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht, Max Christie, Gabe Vincent, 2029 first-round pick (unprotected via Lakers from Mavericks)
The Hornets are getting Hachimura, Knecht and Vincent from the Lakers in this trade ideal. They are also receiving a 2029 first-round pick.
Ball has played in 13 games for Charlotte this season. He's averaging 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 37.9% from the field, 28.1% from beyond the arc and 86.5% from the free-throw line. The one-time All-Star is making $37.9 million.
NBA insider Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reports that Ball is open to being traded from the Hornets, who haven't made the playoffs since 2016. Ball, the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year, doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract.
"The Charlotte Hornets have just one winning season (43-39 in 2021-22) and are 149-271 overall since drafting LaMelo Ball," Swartz wrote. "The 24-year-old was recently benched in the fourth quarter against the red-hot Toronto Raptors, only for the Hornets to erase a 10-point deficit and eventually win in overtime, snapping the Raptors' nine-game win streak.
"Ball is averaging just 16.1 points on 33.1 percent shooting overall and 22.2 percent shooting from three over his last seven games, playing some of the worst basketball of his career. Now is the time to move on for both parties."
The Hornets selected Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Ball has career averages of 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.
Charlotte is only 102-142 when Ball plays. Swartz believes the franchise should trade Ball and build around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
"The Ball era in Charlotte started out strong with a Rookie of the Year award and All-Star appearance. It's produced little else over the past four years, however," Swartz wrote. "Getting a collection of young wings and talented shooting along with a tasty future first-round pick is a nice return for a Hornets team in need of another fresh start."
Hachimura, Christie and Knecht are talented players who can shoot really well from 3. They could be solid fits in Charlotte.
Meanwhile, Vincent is on an expiring contract, which would be great for the Hornets' books.