In March 2024, the Charlotte Hornets hired Jeff Peterson to be their new general manager. Since then, he has accumulated plenty of assets. This summer, the team will be at a crossroads yet again. Will they continue with LaMelo Ball as their franchise player, or try to move out from his contract? We have to wait and see, but there are already some trade rumors that the Hornets might listen to offers.

LaMelo Ball Trade Rumors: Hornets Could be Ready to Move on

ESPN’s Shams Charania was recently on The Pat McAfee Show. He talked about several topics, and one of them was trade rumors surrounding LaMelo Ball.

“I think if you are Charlotte, you are coming with back-to-back seasons with not much winning. I am sure they are open to a lot. I haven’t heard anything definitive on LaMelo Ball as of yet. But this is that period of time. This week, next week. We are going to see a lot of rumors. Listen, if a team calls the Hornets and makes a massive offer or makes a real push for LaMelo. If you are the Hornets, you have to be all ears at that point,” Shams said.

LaMelo has four more years left on his contract and $203 million in guaranteed salary. While he is only 23 years old, he hasn’t played in 50+ games for three consecutive seasons. Ball won Rookie of the Year and then made the All-Star team in his second season. Since then, he has battled injuries. While his production has gone up, he has played in just 36, 22, and 47 games in the last three seasons.

Mar 20, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) brings the ball up court against the New York Knicks during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
The Draft Challenge

Since drafting LaMelo in the 2020 draft, the Hornets have had five lottery pick selections. And the only quality player they have to show is Brandon Miller. In 2021, they selected James Bouknight, but he has yet to show any potential. In 2022, they selected Jalen Duren and Mark Williams. They traded the former to the Detroit Pistons, and the latter is injury-prone. Miller was their prized rookie in 2023, and last year, they selected Tidjane Salaun.

They have to nail their pick this year. The challenge is that if they elect to trade Ball, there is no point guard they can get at No.4. Dylan Harper will surely go No.2 at the Spurs, and from there, there are plenty of shooting guards, but no true point guard. Mock drafts have the Hornets selecting players like Tre Johnson, Ace Bailey, or Kon Knueppel. However, none of these players are point guards.

What is LaMelo’s Trade Value?

When he is healthy, Ball is one of the most polarizing point guards in the league. Last season, he averaged a career-high 11.2 three-point attempts and converted them at a 33.9% rate. He is not an elite shooter, but he can make streaky threes. To be fair, on a bad team, when the entire defense focuses on you, it is harder to find good shots.

That being said, he is still 23 years old. LaVar Ball urged the Clippers to get both LaMelo and Lonzo Ball. That would put his two sons in Los Angeles. However, there would likely be plenty of other suitors for LaMelo around the league. It is hard to gauge the trade market because players like Desmond Bane fetch four first-round picks, while Kevin Durant gets you only one. Right now, there are not many teams looking for a point guard, but things can heat up.

 

Featured image: © Scott Kinser-Imagn Images