{"id":2238,"date":"2026-06-26T18:07:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2238"},"modified":"2026-06-26T18:07:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:07:05","slug":"charlotte-hornets-trading-lamelo-ball-to-minnesota-timberwolves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2238","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte Hornets trading LaMelo Ball to Minnesota Timberwolves"},"content":{"rendered":"

LaMelo Ball<\/a> is officially on the move.<\/p>\n

The Charlotte Hornets<\/u><\/a> agreed to a trade Thursday morning that sends Ball and guard Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for forward Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks, league sources confirmed to The Charlotte Observer.<\/p>\n

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Sources told The Observer earlier Thursday morning that multiple teams \u2014 including the Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors \u2014 were in the mix to acquire Ball, the Hornets\u2019 polarizing but undeniably popular star point guard.<\/p>\n

The Observer also previously reported that Ball had the desire to stay in Charlotte for the long-term, as he\u2019s said publicly for years.<\/p>\n

[FOWLER:<\/b> Hornets just traded away LaMelo Ball, and I\u2019m all for it<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Since entering the league in 2020, it\u2019s been a struggle for Ball to stay healthy as he\u2019s dealt with ankle issues. But that wasn\u2019t the case this past season, when he logged action in 72 games, and helped spur the Hornets to a berth in the NBA\u2019s play-in tournament.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the most he\u2019s played following his All-Star year in 2021-22.<\/p>\n

Ball, 24, finished second in the NBA this past season in made 3-pointers with 272, trailing only teammate Kon Knueppel. He also ranked ninth in the league in assists per game at 7.1.<\/p>\n

The trade paves the way for Coby White, a North Carolina native and former UNC star, to step into the starting point guard role next year. White is an unrestricted free agent and Jeff Peterson, the Hornets\u2019 president of basketball operations, has mentioned he\u2019s \u201ca priority\u201d re-signing candidate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sending Ball to Minnesota also creates a massive $40.7 million trade exception, reportedly the largest in league history. That slot could be used to bring in someone like Jaylen Brown, who was dangled in trade talks with Milwaukee before the Bucks sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. Brown knows Hornets coach Charles Lee from their championship season together in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

Ball\u2019s departure is likely only the first domino of the Hornets\u2019 restructuring their roster this offseason.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a more detailed enumeration of the deal:<\/p>\n

The Timberwolves receive:<\/p>\n

The Hornets receive:<\/p>\n

An \u201cunprotected first-round pick\u201d essentially means that the Hornets will get the Wolves\u2019 pick no matter what in 2033 \u2014 no safety net or guardrails in place for Minnesota. The \u201cpick swaps\u201d<\/a> allow the Hornets to either use the Timberwolves\u2019 first-round draft position or their own first-round draft position in the 2028, 2029 and 2030 drafts. (Think of it as another tool for flexibility on those draft nights.)<\/p>\n

This draft capital, however useful, all deals in the long-term. The only player the Hornets will receive in immediate return for their duo of guards is Reid.<\/p>\n

On paper, Reid immediately injects some much-needed stability in the Hornets\u2019 frontcourt. The big man, who has spent the last seven seasons in Minnesota and will turn 27 in August, averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and one block per game last season.<\/p>\n

Reid signed a five-year, $125 million contract in the summer of 2025.<\/p>\n

Most important among Reid\u2019s traits, perhaps, is that he\u2019s reliably available. He has only played under 68 games in a season once in his career<\/a> \u2014 his rookie year \u2014 and has played 75-plus games in five seasons.<\/p>\n

In 2025-26, specifically, he played in 77 games, averaging 26.1 minutes per game as the understudy to premier defending center Rudy Gobert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reid, who also shot 36.2% from 3-point range last season, will be teaming up with Moussa Diabate in the Charlotte frontcourt<\/a>. Diabate broke out for the Hornets this past year; the team hit its stride when Diabate complemented Charlotte\u2019s myriad shooters \u2014 Ball, Knueppel and Brandon Miller among them.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old forward started 47 of the 73 games he played in, averaging 7.9 points (on only five shots a game), 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists a game.<\/p>\n

Read more Potentially dangerous \u2018heat event\u2019 is headed to Charlotte region, forecasters say<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 8:32 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hornets have agreed to trade LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid. 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