Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reported that LaMelo Ball is open to a trade away from the Charlotte Hornets. While the star point guard may have denied that report, it is a possibility the organization should consider.
Ball has been the centerpiece of the Hornets’ organization since arriving in the league in 2020, getting them to the play-in round of the NBA postseason in his second season.
Through 10 games in the 2025 season, he is averaging 21.2 points per game 6.6 rebounds, and a career-high 9.3 assists in 30.7 minutes of play.
With that said, Ball has yet to play a full season, missing significant time across his six years in the league and, as Iko wrote, there have been “whispers about his on-court comportment.”
With the arrivals of rookies Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner and play that has exceeded expectations thus far, it is time to consider trading Ball. Knueppel is averaging 18.8 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, while Kalkbrenner is contributing just under 10 points, with 6.9 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per night.
Their offensive numbers are not explosive in the way that Ball’s have been at points, but they have formed a nucleus that, when coupled with Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges, can be the foundation for the Hornets in the long-term.
The team can sacrifice the stats here and now for the sake of the future, finding a trade partner that is willing to give them picks they can utilize in the draft for additional talent.
The question will be whether there is a team willing to take on the additional time and money left on Ball’s contract, which figures to be somewhere in the range of $130 million.
Suppose they can get that partner and coerce a significant haul out of them.
If that happens, Charlotte has every reason to move on from Ball and focus on the young foundational players on its roster, who have already flashed the potential to get them back in the playoff chase in an Eastern Conference dominated by teams that, for the most part, are not getting any younger.