LaMelo Ball Trade Grades: How Timberwolves, Hornets Made Out in Stunning Blockbuster
LaMelo Ball Trade Grades: How Timberwolves, Hornets Made Out in Stunning Blockbuster
Liam McKeone|
In this story:
Charlotte HornetsMinnesota TimberwolvesA surprise development on Wednesday night became a shocking trade on Thursday morning, as the Timberwolves traded for star Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this morning. Minnesota is sending an absolute horde of picks (three first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, an unprotected first-rounder in 2033 and three seconds) along with fan favorite Naz Reid to Charlotte in exchange for the 24-year-old coming off his best all-around season in the NBA.
It is a truly stunning turn of events. The Hornets were one of the best stories in the league last year with an electric offense led by Ball getting Charlotte as close to the playoffs as the franchise has been in a decade. He figured to be at the center of the organization’s new core along with Brandon Miller and Kon Kneuppel, a trio talented enough to ensure playoff contention for the foreseeable future. Apparently the Hornets’ front office, led by Jeff Peterson, disagreed.
It’s been an eventful offseason already but this move came way out of left field and fundamentally changes the championship landscape in both conferences. Let’s break it down by grading how each team made out in the earth-shaking transaction.
Hornets: C-
We’ll start with Charlotte. This is a baffling move.
Ball is definitely not a perfect player, to be clear. His six-year NBA career to this point has been fraught with injuries, off-court incidents and lackadaisical play on both ends. Last year was the first season he played more than 47 games since 2021–22. His defense is genuinely maddening at times and he’s already at a disadvantage on that end due to a slim frame lacking strength. Ball’s love of extremely deep three-pointers is great when he’s making them but they too often bail out the defense. There are plenty of things to pick apart.
But even with all those flaws he was the cornerstone talent of this Hornets team. Kneuppel’s shooting is top-tier and Miller has the pieces to be a quality wing talent. Neither can match the overall impact of Ball running the offense. He was the conductor of Charles Lee’s scheme. Most of their plays start with Ball running a pick-and-roll and seeing how the defense reacts before deciding to shoot, drive or dish it out to one of his talented teammates.
Charlotte’s offensive rating dropped like a rock from 125.22 to 113.30 per 100 possessions when Ball left the court, reflecting the roster’s lack of a backup point guard as well as Ball’s importance to making the whole system work. He opened up the floor for his teammates and was the guy to pass them the ball when the defense showed cracks. The team did pick up a possible replacement in Christian Anderson in the first round of the draft. But relying heavily on rookie point guards is almost always a fool’s errand. Particularly for an organization that just got a taste of contention for the first time since Kemba Walker was in his prime.
The return was certainly notable. The Hornets took the Timberwolves for all the picks they had remaining and one of the best stretch big men in the NBA in Reid. But it’s hard not to feel like they are overvaluing draft picks from a team with one high-level superstar in Anthony Edwards and now an All-Star in Ball. It’s even harder not to feel like they pulled the plug really early on Ball and the rest of this young core—Charlotte really only clicked in the second half of the campaign. Who knows what a full season would have looked like?
We’ll never know. The Hornets are making a very risky bet that their system is what got them within one win of the playoffs rather than the main star around which it revolved. The roster still has plenty of talent but Ball has shown flashes of being the No. 1 guy every team is hunting for, and Charlotte just threw itself back into that search for no reason other than asset accumulation. Even if you aren’t a believer in Ball it’s difficult to justify giving up on that potential when he’s 24 years old and coming off his most successful professional season. Even if one of those Wolves picks has the potential to land high in the lottery due to the new rules being instituted next season.
Timberwolves: B+
As much a risk as this is for Hornets, it’s no sure thing for the Timberwolves, either.
Minnesota was already bereft of draft capital but the cupboard is now completely empty. There are essentially no more picks to use to improve the roster. That leaves the franchise on the edge and very vulnerable to any extended injury absence from either of the two stars now on the roster. Trading away Reid at 26 years old hurts, too. He’s a homegrown talent with an extremely valuable skillset as a truly elite shooter at 6’9”, particularly for a team that will have Rudy Gobert in the starting lineup. What’s more, it’s a chemistry risk after trading away Julius Randle, too, and in light of the strong personalities Ball and Edwards bring to the table.
But it’s not hard to see why Minnesota made this move. Every playoff loss over the last two years has seen Edwards get swarmed by double-teams at every turn and no Timberwolves player was able to capitalize as a perimeter threat. That won’t be true anymore with Ball. If defenses want to throw two guys at Edwards, that will leave a point guard who averaged 7.1 assists last year and shot 36.8% from deep on 10.3 attempts per game wide-open with a 4-on-3 advantage. As long as coach Chris Finch ensures everyone is in the right spot, doubling Edwards will no longer be a consistent option for opponents, which is a huge positive.
Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about—maximizing Edwards’s talents by finding complementary star talents. Ball will take a pretty significant chunk of the offensive playmaking off his shoulders. Edwards averaged 28.8 points per game last year without a real point guard playing alongside him and can now focus even more on just scoring the ball. Between that and the double team aspect there’s a real chance this move allows Edwards to make an even bigger leap and threaten for the title of best scorer in the NBA.
There are questions to be answered. Ball will need to shape up defensively if he’s to compete in the Western Conference. The Wolves do not have a starting-caliber power forward anymore. Spacing around Gobert might get dicy, which has long been the Achilles heel for teams that employ the elite defensive big man. And sending out every pick they have leaves Minnesota dangling over the cliff without a safety net. If Ball’s injury issues pop up again there’s a non-zero chance Edwards can’t power this roster to playoff contention after the team sacrificed two rotation players to get the star point guard.
Still, it’s a tantalizing fit. Edwards and Ball are part of the same draft class and so have, potentially, many years of contention together ahead of them. Their offensive skillsets will prove dangerous when combined on the court in Minnesota. It’s a big bet but the potential payoff is championship contention behind an elite offensive backcourt. That kind of star power is needed to make it out of a loaded Western Conference.
The upside is worth the risk.
More NBA from Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
Published 25 minutes ago | Modified 25 minutes ago
LIAM MCKEONELiam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.
Home/NBA
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
