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One of the hottest names in the NBA is headed for a contender.
The Charlotte Hornets reportedly traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, trading the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft with the first overall pick that year in Anthony Edwards.
Ball, the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year, has become one of the best guards in the league, averaging 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, though injuries have hampered him. He played in just 105 games from the start of the 2022–23 season to the 2024–25 campaign.
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Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves interacts with LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets in the third quarter at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 22, 2024. The Hornets defeated the Timberwolves 128-125. (David Berding/Getty Images)
Unable to break their playoff drought dating back to the 2015-16 season, the Hornets opted to trade Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round trades and three second-round picks.
The T-Wolves have reached the playoffs in five straight seasons, including Western Conference Finals appearances in 2024 and 2025, so bringing in Ball to help Edwards, who dropped a career-high 28.8 points per game last season, makes sense.
LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets passes the ball during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 24, 2023. (David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images)
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And perhaps because of Ball’s concerns about durability, Charlotte added to an already rich collection of draft picks that includes six first-round picks and eight second-rounders over the next three offseasons. They just selected Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson with the 14th and 18th picks earlier this week and took former Duke star Kon Knueppel with the fourth pick last year.
In 2023, Ball signed a five-year, $260 million contract extension and said he felt the team was on a path to success.
“I think it’s just a great position and I think we’re all going the right way now,” he said at the time.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball dribbles the ball upfield against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on February 19, 2026. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
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That obviously wasn’t the case, but on a personal note, Ball is now back on that path.
