LaMelo Ball trade grades for Timberwolves, Hornets blockbuster

Story by

Story by
LaMelo Ball trade grades for Timberwolves, Hornets blockbuster

Bailey Bassett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jun 25, 2026 ·

6 min read

About Our Ads

LaMelo Ball trade grades for Timberwolves, Hornets blockbuster appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Tim Connelly and the Minnesota Timberwolves got the eight-ball rolling when it comes to trade season this offseason. They moved Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in what was viewed as a precursor to a bigger move. That bigger blockbuster came, as the Timberwolves just acquired LaMelo Ball in one of the most shocking trades in recent memory.

Reports didn't start emerging that the Charlotte Hornets were open to moving the jumbo-sized point guard until the waning hours of June 24, and it didn't take long for a deal to come to fruition. The Timberwolves sent Naz Reid , a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round picks swaps, and three second-round picks to Charlotte. Josh Green will come to Minnesota alongside Ball.

Connelly has long been one of the most aggressive decision makers in the NBA, and the Hornets have embraced a philosophical change when it comes to roster building over the last year, but how do the Timberwolves and Hornets grade out for this trade?

Timberwolves get the superstar point guard they desperately needed

Timberwolves receive: LaMelo Ball , Josh Green

The Timberwolves' biggest need all of last season was the point guard position. They spent much of the year forcing primary shooting guards, such as Donte DiVencenzo and Anthony Edwards , into taking on lead guard duties. Mike Conley has become more of a veteran voice than an impact player at this point, and while Bones Hyland emerged as a contributor last season, he is more of a scoring-minded guard than a facilitator. Plus, Hyland is slated for free agency this offseason.

Enter Ball, a pure point guard who has become somewhat underrated during his time in Charlotte, despite the fact that he is one of the most popular players in the NBA because of his amateur playing days and joyful personality. Ball is the playmaker the Timberwolves needed. At 6-foot-7, he sees the floor incredibly well. He is known for highlight passes, but the Timberwolves will simply benefit from having someone who can throw lobs to Rudy Gobert and get Edwards the ball in his spots. Gobert is limited to play finishing on offense, yet he hasn't had someone who can get him involved on that end in recent years. Edwards has become one of the best players in the NBA , but he desperately needed a backcourt partner who could take some of the pressure off his shoulders.

Ball is more than just a great passer, though. While inefficient, Ball can score from anywhere on the court. He has the athleticism to take the ball to the rack and the skill to take and make difficult 3-point shots. Defense and injuries have always been the concerns with the Chino Hills product. When it comes to the less glamorous end of the court, Ball at least has great positional size to make up for his lack of focus and intensity on that end. Plus, he will have a four-time Defensive Player of the Year covering for him on the backend. He is also coming off a season in which he played 72 games, so the Timberwolves have to be optimistic that the injury woes are behind him.

Ball is clearly a great fit, but the reason this trade was such a fleece for the Timberwolves is because they didn't have to give up all that much. Naz Reid is a highly skilled big and a fan favorite of the Timberwolves, but he had become somewhat overrated by his cult-like following in Minnesota. The first-round pick doesn't come until 2033, so the Timberwolves don't have to worry about that for years. Plus, Minnesota should likely end up with the less favorable first-rounder in the years they owe swap options, so they might not even have to swap firsts at all.

This trade filled a need for the Timberwolves, concluded their prior trade of Randle, and brought in a fellow superstar for Edwards to team up with. The Timberwolves are now a little thin in the frontcourt, but that doesn't prevent the team from receiving the highest trade grade possible.

Grade:A+

Hornets make a questionable decision in moving on from their star

Hornets receive:Naz Reid, 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033)

The Hornets changed the way they construct their roster starting at the 2025 NBA Draft. They took win-now, fundamentally sound players with track records for winning, such as Kon Knueppel , Liam McNeeley , and Ryan Kalkbrenner . Moving on from prioritizing raw athletes helped the team get all the way to the play-in tournament, but that doesn't mean they should have given up on their best player.

Some pinned the non-winner label on Ball because of his injury history and inefficient scoring marks, but that couldn't be further from the truth. After all, the Chino Hills team he played on as a freshman in high school was one of the greatest high school teams of the century. Ball was the engine that made Charlotte's offense flow, and he and the team as a whole picked things up on defense last year.

Now, instead of taking a step forward into playoff contention, it appears like the Hornets will take multiple steps backward. It is possible that none of the draft picks/swaps the team acquired will help in the near future. The addition of Reid is beneficial because center was Charlotte's biggest need, but it could be argued that Reid is more of a power forward. He has spent most of his career as a backup, and he has often been exposed by bigger centers when forced to guard true fives.

Reid is a unicorn of a big man. He has an advanced handle and hits step-back and corner 3-pointers with ease, but he wasn't worth acquiring at the cost of Ball. The Hornets even had to give up Green, a player whose numbers don't pop off the page, but one who knows his role and can serve as a glue player. Green's contract wasn't favorable, but there was only one more year on his deal.

There was a world where trading Ball made some sense for the Hornets, but they shouldn't have rushed into such an underwhelming package. This was a one-sided trade, and the Hornets got the short end of the stick.

Grade:D+

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: