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The LaMelo Ball trade could be a disaster for Minnesota

The trade might be a classic lose-lose, but I think the Timberwolves may have made a huge mistake trading for the mercurial point guard.
ByOliver Fox|
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Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles as New York Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet (4) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) dribbles as New York Knicks forward Pacome Dadiet (4) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Key Points

Bullet point summary by AI

  • Two NBA teams made a blockbuster deal that has analysts questioning every angle of the move.
  • The transaction leaves both franchises facing uncertain futures and potential roster imbalances.
  • Key players now face altered roles that could define whether this trade becomes a franchise-changing gamble or a costly misstep.

Are lose-lose trades the new win-wins? With the NBA’s first two summer blockbusters in the books, I think they might be.

If you think about it, a lose-lose trade is kinda just a win-win inverted with different scales — like how in baseball analytics ERA- and ERA+ are actually the same stat. Can we just use the commutative property to resolve LaMelo Ball’s strange fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the less-than-stellar return the Charlotte Hornets got? (Can we do the same for Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat while we’re at it?)

Here’s the trade. The Timberwolves get: LaMelo Ball and Josh Green. The Hornets get: Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three pick swaps and three seconds. So … what the heck was everybody thinking?

The LaMelo Ball trade could be a lose-lose

LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edward
Feb 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) works past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards (1) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

This trade fundamentally confuses me. I don’t see why Charlotte, who took a real step forward last year, would be in the business of trading their young point guard — really the only guy on the roster who could create shots for his teammates — for an asset package befitting a team in full rebuild mode. But I understand even less about why the Timberwolves would trade essentially all their remaining assets and non-Rudy Gobert size for a player who is redundant and whose impact on winning has been questionable throughout his career. It is the kind of all-in move that is liable to sink a small-market franchise like Minnesota.

For the Hornets, this is basically a statement that 1) Coby White is a better future point guard for this team than LaMelo (okay, sure) and 2) that they are further away from contention than their strong play in the second half of last year suggested. That’s all fine. Personally, I think losing that much talent for picks seven years from now is too deep a pull for a team that looked dangerous and was maybe only a couple moves away from something special. Ball is a sometimes-infuriating player to watch; he attempts utterly ridiculous shots and has a less-than-stellar injury history. But he’s also immensely talented, one of the best passers in the league and an excellent 3-point shooter when he’s not taking one-footed fadeaways. This is a really strange time to sell.

The Timberwolves may have taken an irresponsible risk

Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolve
May 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

But for the Wolves … man oh man do I hate this for the Wolves. Ball and Anthony Edwards will immediately become the most internet-famous duo in the league, but beyond that I really have no idea about what he’s supposed to do here. They just paid Ayo Dosunmu serious money, and combined with their pure salary dump of Julius Randle, Minnesota has created a situation where three of their four best players are guards. None of those guards are small, but at least Edwards and LaMelo are traditionally very-high usage. Jaden McDaniels will have to slide into a role he may not be comfortable with or effective in, and Gobert will have to be a far more impactful offensive player than he has been in the last few years to justify the kind of minutes he will be getting this season.

This trade is liable to induce small-market disaster if Edwards ever goes the route of Giannis Antetokounmpo and starts making things weird. I’m not saying that will or won’t happen, I’m just saying that this was a startlingly committal move for a team that has reorganized a few times already with limited success. There are only so many Karl-Anthony Townses and Nickeil Alexander-Walkers you can lose before you start running out of plays.

It is true that the Wolves lacked actual shot creation behind Edwards last year, and McDaniels is too valuable off-ball to try to transition him into an offensive creator role. Dosunmu helps with that, and LaMelo is a real shot maker — but this trade is a massive risk. He has three more years on a max rookie extension, and if the Timberwolves aren’t careful they might find themselves handing a losing player a $300 million piece of paper. I haven’t seen a trade with this much disaster potential in a while. Be safe out there.

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