Lamelo Ball traded to Minnesota in major NBA deal

LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets’ star over the past five and a half seasons, has been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in another notable NBA move. According to ESPN, Minnesota received the 24-year-old point guard and guard Josh Green, while Charlotte got Naz Reid, an unprotected first-round pick in the 2033 draft, three first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, and three second-round picks.

The trade comes after reports that Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been pressuring the front office to improve the roster around him, and could even ask for a trade in the near future if he does not see major progress. Minnesota now hopes the pairing of Edwards and Ball will make it one of the league’s most intriguing teams.

Ball is widely viewed as one of the NBA’s most talented and unusual players, but also one of its most controversial. He has been criticized throughout his career for weak defense and shot selection. Still, he finished last season strongly and helped Charlotte push for the playoffs, as the Hornets went 18-9 in the second half of the season.

Ball averaged 20.1 points per game in the 2025/26 season, his lowest mark since his rookie year, but he still helped Charlotte reach the play-in tournament and post one of his most successful seasons in terms of team wins. Health remains a major question for him, he played 72 games last season, the second-highest total of his career, but in the previous three seasons he appeared in just 105 of a possible 246 games.