The Charlotte Hornets have dealt star guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for big man Naz Reid and a litany of draft picks.
The
full details
of the trade include the Hornets sending Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota in exchange for Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick and three second-round picks (2029, 2032 and 2033). Charlotte will also receive first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030.
When healthy, Ball enjoyed plenty of success in Charlotte and was one of the cornerstone pieces of the franchise. The key issue for Ball, however, was staying on the court, as he played just 105 total games from 2022-23 through 2024-25.
Ball bounced back in his sixth season with the Hornets, averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 36.8% from 3-point range. His resurgence as a reliable starter helped Charlotte improve significantly, with the team falling just one play-in victory short of reaching the playoffs.
Although the Hornets are losing an incredibly talented offensive threat in Ball, they are acquiring one of the more underrated big men in the league in Reid.
Reid, the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season while shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc.
At just 26 years old, it’s clear the Hornets view him as a major part of their future and someone they can pair with young talents such as Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Coby White and others.
From the Timberwolves’ perspective, Ball is the exact type of star they were hoping to pair alongside four-time All-Star Anthony Edwards. Minnesota has aggressively pursued high-level talent in past years, previously acquiring players such as Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert to build around Edwards.
The Timberwolves recently
traded Randle to the Brooklyn Nets
primarily as a salary dump and intend to
re-sign Ayo Dosunmu
to a five-year, $112 million contract.
This time, Minnesota opted for a point guard, a position that had become a glaring need given the uncertainty surrounding Mike Conley’s future at age 38 and after Donte DiVincenzo suffered a ruptured Achilles during last season’s playoffs.
Ball still has three years remaining on his contract and will now become one of the premier pieces in Minnesota’s rotation alongside 24-year-old Edwards and 25-year-old wing Jaden McDaniels, all of whom are under contract through the 2028-29 season.
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