The Timberwolves made a big change by trading for LaMelo Ball.
The Minnesota Timberwolves made a massive change to their roster in the offseason, dealing Naz Reid and draft compensation to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green.
Days before acquiring Ball, the Timberwolves traded Julius Randle and their 2026 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2026 second-round pick.
The move to acquire Ball and trade their top two power forwards will completely shift how the team looks and plays going into next season, as they finally have a true secondary scorer and primary playmaker next to Anthony Edwards, but they have sacrificed size in their frontcourt
Why Minnesota Made The Move
Sam Amick of The Athletic appeared on FanDuel's Run It Back and stated that Minnesota made the move to acquire Ball due to the pressure the San Antonio Spurs put on Anthony Edwards in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The Spurs defeated the Timberwolves in six games, forcing the ball out of Edwards' hands or denying him the ball for the better part of 48 minutes.
Edwards was already limited by a knee injury coming into the series, but his numbers were down in the series, as he averaged two fewer field goal attempts and five fewer points than his regular-season averages. He also averaged three turnovers to just 2.5 assists.
Randle, who was viewed as the second best player on Minnesota, failed to make an impact in the series, averaging 12.8 points while shooting 34% from the field and 19% from three.
Not having Donte Divincenzo, who suffered an Achilles injury in the first round, didn't help Minnesota as he is a great spacer and serviceable secondary creator in the starting lineup.
How Much Does LaMelo Solve?
Ball averaged 7.1 assists last season and is a volume shooter who isn't afraid to let it fly from deep.
Last season with Charlotte, he averaged 11.8 potential assists, which was more than LeBron James, Darius Garland, and Jalen Brunson. He is a fantastic tablesetter, the likes of which Edwards and even Rudy Gobert have never played with before.
Though Gobert has offensive limitations, he's still a threat underneath the basket, especially on the roll, and he's never had a playmaker to the level of Ball. Mike Conley in Utah was the closest to Ball's current form, and even he was a step below.
While Minnesota now has a size issue, they have fully solved their creator issue.
