As expected, this year's free agency has been pretty wild.
Just two days in, we've already seen LeBron James part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers , who then went on to sign four players in a span of 35 minutes. We've seen the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics swap Paul George for Jaylen Brown in one of, if not the most surprising, moves of the offseason so far, and there are still a lot more dominoes to fall before we actually see what the landscape of the NBA will be in the upcoming season.
But even days before the start of the offseason's free agency period, we already saw a major move when the Charlotte Hornets sent All-Star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid and picks.
It was an interesting move for the Hornets, since Ball was starting to look like the leader of a young and exciting team that made a lot of noise towards the tail end of the season and in the Play-In Tournament.
Now, Ball gets to play alongside Anthony Edwards in what's sure to be an interesting and fun stint in Minnesota.
During the most recent episode of the "Ball in the Family" podcast, the other two Ball brothers, Lonzo Ball and LiAngelo Ball, shared their thoughts on their younger brother's big move.
"Minnesota my favorite team in the NBA now," LiAngelo said .
"Go Wolves!" Lonzo added, before shouting out a few members of the Timberwolves roster, namely Edwards, former Chicago Bulls teammate Ayo Dosunmu , Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert . "That's a good five right there if you ask me!"
According to Lonzo and LiAngelo, the new-look Wolves are good enough to make the top three in the very tough Western Conference, alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs .
"I got them third," Lonzo said. "I'm excited for Melo because, being his big brother, people are questioning the fit, and I think it's a great fit for him. You have the two best players under 25 on the same team."
Last season with the Hornets, Ball averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists and made 3.8 threes per game. He was also crucial in pushing the Hornets to a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Ball went on to score the would-be game-winner against the Miami Heat in the East's Play-In Tournament's 9-10 game.
And while the Hornets definitely had some upside, Lonzo believes his brother is now in a better spot.
"They obviously feel like they can go in a different way," Lonzo said of the Hornets. "But I think Melo went to a better situation, though. They think they're better? Cool. I think Melo went to a better spot."
On paper, the Timberwolves are definitely a more competitive team. Behind Edwards , they have gone to the postseason in each of the last five seasons, including back-to-back Western Conference finals appearances.
And while they'll be rolling out a different team come October, it wouldn't be a wild take that they'll be closer to postseason contention than the Hornets.
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While adding Ball is the biggest move of the Timberwolves so far, it's also important to note that they got rid of forward Julius Randle , who, in spite of all the criticism he's received, had a very solid season for Minnesota last year. Randle played 79 games and averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
As far as the offensive output goes, Ball will be a suitable replacement for Randle. Perhaps the biggest thing that he brings to the table, aside from being able to also share in the scoring load, is elite-level playmaking. No doubt Edwards, McDaniels, Dosunmu and Gobert will benefit greatly from Ball setting the table.
It remains to be seen whether the Wolves will make any moves during the offseason. Who knows? Maybe they listen to LaVar and bring in the other two Ball brothers. But as early as now, it's safe to say that the Timberwolves are still a playoff-caliber team, and if everything clicks, Ball could be looking at the first postseason appearance of his career.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jul 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
