The Hornets are out of the Lamelo Ball business, trading him to the Timberwolves on Thursday, ESPN.com reported.
Ball was shipped to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, and 2030) and three second-round picks.
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Reserve Australian guard Josh Green heads to Minnesota as well in the trade.
Minnesota will be Green’s third home in the NBA after being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and then being traded to the Hornets in 2024.The 25-year-old Sydney guard had an injury-riddled 2025-26 season with Charlotte, playing just 58 games after missing the start of the campaign due to shoulder surgery.
The move comes after reports that Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards would force a trade from Minnesota in the near future if the team doesn’t improve his supporting cast.
It follows the Timberwolves earlier this week trading forward Julius Randle after a difficult NBA Playoffs
The pairing of Ball and Edwards should be interesting, as the now-former Hornets guard is one of the most divisive stars in the NBA.
The trade was met with mixed reaction from NBA media,
NBA analyst Nick Wright questioned the Timberwolves’ motivations for the trade.
“Congratulations for the Charlotte Hornets for making a tough decision when they needed to make it and having a chance to move forward with Kon Knueppel Brandon Miller and build around that team rather than be attached to, who I believe to be — while exciting— an unserious, injury-prone player,” he said on First Things First.
Wright pointed to the fact that Ball has three years left on his contract and is eligible to sign a two-year, $119.2 million extension on July 6.
“So It’s five years, $250 million ($360 million AUD) for the next half decade of Lamelo Ball.”
“I don’t understand what Minnesota is doing. Even if you like the talent more than I do, trading established pro Julius Randle and Naz Reid, who is beloved there and I think one of the more valuable sixth men in basketball, to add a high useage no defence guard is baffling to me.”
Veteran commentator Stephen. A .Smith was more positive, however the veteran NBA commentator issued a warning to the Timberwolves.
“[LaMelo Ball] can score, but his gift is passing the basketball, and look who he’s passing it to, a superstar, if ever there was one, in Anthony Edwards,” he said on First Take.
“Certainly from a basketball persepctive,
“But I find myself looking at the Timberwolves and thinking that they got a bit small.”
Ball is not known as a player who takes defensive effort particularly seriously, although he did play better during the Hornets’ second-half playoff push, where they went 18-9, among the best in basketball.
Shot selection is another key sticking point that has frustrated Ball fans, as he sometimes shoots off-balance jump shots from several feet beyond the arc.
It’ll be up to Timberwolves coach Chris Finch to reign in Ball’s questionable shot quality and inconsistent defensive prowess.
The poor defensive metrics will likely be masked somewhat by the presence of perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert backing him up down low.
Ball has also seldom been available during his NBA career.
He played in 72 games last season, the second-most of his career, but suited up for just 105 of a possible 246 games in his prior three seasons in the league.Ball averaged his fewest points per game since his rookie year (20.1), but he still helped the Hornets qualify for the Play-In Tournament, and last season was the most wins he has contributed to since he entered the NBA.
For Minnesota, the loss of Reid certainly hurts their big man depth, as they also just traded their other forward, Julius Randle, to the Nets in a salary dump earlier this week.The Hornets will now go forward with guards that consist of Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, while welcoming in Reid to their backcourt.
This article originally appeared in The New York Post.