Should the Charlotte Hornets trade or keep LaMelo Ball? One NBA analyst has the answer.
NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes the Charlotte Hornets should NOT trade LaMelo Ball this season.
Hughes thinks the Hornets should wait and see what the threesome of Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel looks like for an extended period before deciding what to do with Ball.
"LaMelo Ball's ability to play major role on a winner remains a question mark, which is precisely why the Charlotte Hornets shouldn't be eager to move him at the 2026 deadline," Hughes wrote. That's not to say Charlotte should feel certain about Ball as a cornerstone. His defense may never be up to snuff, his shot selection might never belong on a winner and Kon Knueppel might already be a better culture-defining prospect. At the same time, the Hornets still don't have a firm sense of how well the whole operation might work with Ball alongside their other top options.
"What little information Charlotte has from this season is wildly promising. Across 340 non-garbage-time possessions, the Hornets own a plus-10.1 net rating and a 99th-percentile offense when Ball, Knueppel and Brandon Miller share the floor. That's elite stuff, more than intriguing enough to justify using the rest of this season as a proving ground. If Ball can't stay healthy or the team's performance regresses, the Hornets can readdress a foundation-shifting trade this summer."
Ball has appeared in 27 games for the Hornets this season. The one-time All-Star is averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 40.8% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 87.2% from the free-throw line.
The Hornets are only 13-24. They are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. However, they did pull off a massive upset against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a sign that this team may be turning a corner.
Ball is making $37.9 million this season. He signed a massive five-year, $203 million extension with the Hornets in 2023.
Ball was the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. The Hornets are only 108-150 when Ball plays. They haven't made the playoffs since 2016 and have had just one winning season since drafting LaMelo.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is next month. It will be fascinating to see if the Hornets trade Ball or keep him next to Miller and Knueppel.