LaMelo Ball trade rumors: Hornets fielding 'aggressive offers' as deal could materialize quickly
The 2026 NBA offseason is heating up quickly. After the Bucks sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat on Monday, another blockbuster could be brewing with ESPN reporting that Charlotte Hornets All-Star LaMelo Ball could potentially be moved by this weekend.
Charania noted that Ball wants to be in Charlotte and that his relationship with the team is in a "good place," but that might not matter with the Hornets suddenly fielding "aggressive offers" that could make a deal too good to pass up.
Who might these teams trying to trade for Ball be? Marc Stein and Jake Fischer are reporting the Timberwolves and Raptors. Chris Haynes is also reporting Minnesota.
And that's seemingly just the start of the list. This situation appears to be developing quickly.
Changing mindset on score-first guards
It's worth noting what we just saw from Jalen Brunson and pondering how much his playoff performance -- and New York's championship -- might be reinvigorating the market for these one-way, ball-dominant point guards.
For a minute, this was the most rapidly depreciating player archetype in the league. The Hawks couldn't trade Trae Young for a sack of nickels and wound up having to salary dump him to the Wizards. The Bucks decided that paying Damian Lillard $113 million over five years to play for someone else was better than keeping him.
Fats forward, and Young has gotten a $212 million contract from the Wizards, who apparently believed there were multiple max offers about to come Young's way. And now a bunch of teams want Ball. There appears to be a bidding war for his services.
Ball is an extremely talented player, as we saw in the playoffs, how important shot creation is, even if it's coming from a defensively deficient source.
The Knicks just showed the basketball world that it is indeed possible to surround such these one-sided stars with enough defensive infrastructure to make them competitively viable on the highest level. Is Ball or Young on Brunson's level? Absolutely not. But Ball, at 6-foot-8, has the size to eliminate at least one of the concerns with these types of guards.
He can be a disruptive defender, and we have seen him scale back some his playground antics on the offensive end. Last season he trimmed his turnovers to a career-low 2.8 per game, and he has scored north of 20 PPG to go with seven-plus assists in each of the last five seasons.
He's far from a perfect player, but the bottom line is the Hornets were 9.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court last year, per Cleaning the Glass, and Charlotte was one of the best teams in the league from January on. You can't call him a total losing player with much credibility anymore.
Ball's scoring efficiency still leaves a lot to be desired, but he's a plus 3-point shooter on high volume despite a pretty difficult shot diet. There is no questioning his ability to create offense for himself and others, and he is an incredible pace-pusher. There's some Tyrese Haliburton in there. A much bigger Trae Young at worst. Imagining Ball on a team like the Wolves, alongside Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, with that kind of defensive support in place, is an intriguing prospect to say the least.
Why would the Hornets want to trade LaMelo Ball?
It begs the question: If Ball is this good, and the idea that his type of player can lead competitive teams is now back on the radar, why would the Hornets want to get rid of him? Well, for starters, Charania noted "aggressive" offers. You don't necessarily have to want to trade a player to be moved to do so by an offer you can't refuse.
Besides that, we've just taken a total glass-half-full look at Ball. There is still a lot of carelessness in there, and again, the scoring inefficiency is real. It's hard to imagine a team winning a championship with its point guard launching one-footed 3-pointers as a matter of routine. Plus, he makes a lot of money. He's owed more than $130 million over the next three years.
By moving off Ball, Charlotte could be ahead of the curve on a depreciating player, and in doing so could free up a lot of immediate flexibility by taking back expiring money to resign Brandon Miller and begin to build in earnest around him and Kon Kneuppel.
Perhaps the Hornets could even use Ball to get into the Jaylen Brown sweepstakes by way of a multi-team deal. Whatever the case, the options are much more open with Ball off the books. For a while, it didn't seem like that would be possible. Again, it wasn't that long ago that teams were of the mindset that you couldn't win with the ball-dominant, defensively deficient point guard unless his name is Luka Dončić. Hell, the Mavericks didn't even think they could win with Dončić.
But that belief seems to be flipping. How much does Brunson's success have to do with that? Who knows. But either way, Ball is back in the good graces of the trade market, and things appear to be heating up quickly.
Add CBS Sports on GoogleBadenoch 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.'
