The Charlotte Hornets' blockbuster LaMelo Ball trade has earned major praise from an NBA analyst.
The Charlotte Hornets made a shocking move after the NBA Draft, sending star guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The return for Ball and Josh Green yielded Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks.
"The LaMelo trade is going to be a polarizing deal," ESPN NBA Analyst Tim MacMahon said. "And there is a chance that he could make them look very bad for it. Nobody doubts his talent. He's coming off his best year and maybe with a change of scenery, sliding to kind of the shot and roll in Minnesota, LaMelo's career could very well take off."
Ball is coming off a good season for the Hornets, as he was healthy, appearing in 72 games while averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The 24-year-old guard shot 40.7 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three.
While Ball is a talented player, Charlotte may have moved him at the peak of his value.
"But I haven't heard anybody tell me they thought that was a bad deal for the Hornets," MacMahon said. "You know, on the contrary, I've heard people say, 'Hey, they did a great job of letting him restore his value and pouncing as soon as they got an opportunity to get a first-round pick in return."'
Charlotte has added a plethora of draft capital this offseason while adding young talent to the roster with the selections of Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson in the draft.
Reid will also be a key piece for the Hornets in the 2026-27 season. The former 6th Man of the Year will likely start at power forward after averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, a steal, and a block per game in the 2025-26 season. Reid shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from behind the arc.
While moving on from Ball may hurt Charlotte in the immediate future, they have an abundance of young talent and draft capital at their disposal as they build around the duo of Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller.
