Maybe LaMelo Ball was calling that reporter a clown. Maybe he just got tickets for Gathering of the Juggalos, or caught up on the latest episode of the IT prequel, Welcome to Derry. Or maybe he really would like to be traded from the Charlotte Hornets but was trying to avoid the consequences of his soft-launched trade request.
On Thursday night, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reported that multiple sources had told him, "LaMelo Ball has grown increasingly frustrated with the organization and is open to a trade away from the franchise." Fans and media met the news with a cavalcade of wild trade ideas, while Ball responded with a clown emoji.
— Melo (@MELOD1P) November 20, 2025
Regardless of rumors, reporting and red-nosed emojis, it makes sense for the Hornets to at least explore possible Ball deals. Just like it makes sense for the Mavs to listen to Anthony Davis offers and the Hawks and Grizzlies to quietly see what they can get for Trae Young and Ja Morant. Everyone says they aren't making a deal, but public denials have been immediately followed by superstar trades plenty of times before.
With so many stars mentioned in trade rumors this early in the season, it's almost daring you to try and build one massive deal that moves them all. To which we say: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Here's a five-teamer that's at least somewhat plausible, works on paper and gets all four stars to a new home that makes some kind of sense. It probably won't happen, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to imagine. For the real sickos, here's the galaxy-brain construction in all its chaotic glory:
The Hawks clear the decks
Hawks receive: Brandon Clarke, Jevon Carter, Collin Sexton and the Blazers 2026 first-round pick (from the Bulls)
Hawks give up: Trae Young
On paper, this is a pretty paltry return for someone of Young's pedigree — essentially one mid-tier first-round pick and a bunch of cap relief. But it might actually work for the Hawks.
For the rest of this season, Sexton offers some offensive creation and Carter is a ferocious point-of-attack defender to help make a good defense even better. Clarke might turn out to be nothing given his injury history, but he was at one point a great back-up big in Memphis with two-way value. The Blazers pick is lottery protected for the next three seasons, so it might not even confer this year and will never be worth all that much. But a first-round pick is a first-round pick.
And the biggest win here is that the Hawks get off of Young's contract without having to take another terrible deal in return. They're 7-4 with a plus-5.9 point differential in the 11 games since Young went down, and seem to be playing happier and freer (and a lot better defensively) without their star point guard. If they want to move on without him, now is the time as they have two first-round picks in this historic 2026 draft class — one from the Cavs and one from the Pelicans, the latter of which has a good chance of landing in the top three.
So, they don't get a monster return for Young. But they go into next season with a terrific young core that's already a playoff team, plus a ton of cap space and as many as three first-round picks in what could be the best draft class in recent memory. Not too shabby.
Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided's daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend. If you hate it, share it with an enemy!
The Hornets get Ja Morant
Hornets receive: Ja Morant, Daniel Gafford and a 2029 first-round pick from Dallas
Hornets give up: LaMelo Ball, Collin Sexton
The Hornets would probably like to get a lot more in the way of youthful talent or draft capital in a LaMelo Ball deal, but this is a gamble with some upside if they reach a point where they have to move him. Morant doesn't have the infinite range and unending creativity of Ball, but he can be a powerful offensive engine in his own right, and his decision-making (on the court) is a lot more consistent. If he can recover some of his lost joy, the Hornets will still have a strong and dynamic creator to lead the rest of this young core.
Sexton is an unrestricted free agent and Charlotte at least gets something of real value here, turning him into Daniel Gafford — a strong interior defender and rim-runner who provides depth alongside rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner. The 2029 pick isn't all that valuable; because of convoluted pick swaps, it would be the third-most valuable pick among wherever the Rockets, Mavs, Suns and Nets fall. But it's not nothing.
The Hornets would be gambling a lot on Morant's ability to rediscover the spark he showed a few years ago in Memphis, but he's still just 26 and Gafford is only 27. They scaffold things for their intriguing young core and potentially have a team that could compete right away and grow into something even better.
The Bulls land Anthony Davis
Bulls receive: Anthony Davis
Bulls give up: Nikola Vucevic, Jevon Carter, Zach Collins, Portland's 2026 first-round pick
Weirdly, the Bulls — who don't give up any of the four stars in this trade — might be the sticking point. They're off to a surprisingly frisky start, the vibes are good and Nikola Vucevic has been fantastic. He's an unrestricted free agent this summer, and they risk losing him for nothing. But if they want to keep him around, it seems like it wouldn't be that hard to convince him to re-sign.
But the Bulls are also getting the best player in this trade. The caveat is, obviously, "when he's healthy", but they wouldn't be the first team to overlook that variable. Chicago's ceiling, as presently constructed, is probably a fun loss in the first round of the playoffs. Davis could raise that ceiling a whole lot.
The Mavs get Trae Young
Mavericks receive: Trae Young
Mavericks give up: Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, 2029 first round pick
Trae Young needs a very specific kind of team around him to succeed. Players who are comfortable without the ball, floor-spacers and versatile defenders. Throw in a rim-running, shot-blocking big man and you've got it down. Basically, he needs exactly the kind of roster the Mavs built around Luka Dončić before they traded him, a lot of which is still intact.
Young, Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II are a solid trio for the future. They can try to flip Kyrie Irving to pick up another first-round pick at some point in the future and still have their own pick this year to inject a little more youth into the supporting cast. It's a big pivot, and pulls focus and centrality away from Flagg, but that may actually be the best thing for him in the short-term — and Young could theoretically have played through a max extension and moved on by the time Flagg actually hits his prime.
LaMelo Ball to the Grizzlies
Grizzlies receive: LaMelo Ball, Nikola Vucevic
Grizzlies give up: Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke
This is the easiest sell. Ball is not without his flaws, but he's better than the sullen, bitter, inefficient version of Morant the Grizzlies are working with right now, and this is a franchise that could use a major injection of fun.
Ball becomes the instant new centerpiece of the new Grizzlies, and Vucevic is worth a spin as a one-year rental next to Jaren Jackson Jr. Maybe that makes them good enough to push into the Western Conference playoff race this year, maybe not. But either way, the future looks infinitely brighter after a deal like this.