Much has been made of LaMelo Ball’s future and where he might find himself playing.
As the Charlotte Hornets continue to struggle, one of their star men is under increasing scrutiny, which this week turned into speculation about whether Ball’s future remains with the team.
4
LaMelo feels like an NBA superstar in waiting, but has yet to establish his credentials as oneCredit: GETTY
The Hornets are 4-11 after a month of the season and have not made the playoffs since Ball arrived at the team as the No.3 pick in 2020.
After enjoying a good campaign last year, the 24-year-old is yet to establish himself as a fixture in the lineup, despite entering his sixth season with the team.
Heading into the Hornets game against the Clippers on Saturday night, he has played in just 240 games out of a possible 419 since he signed with the team – a little over 50 per cent.
Rumours of Ball’s future being outside of Charlotte began when a Yahoo Sports article claimed that the 2022 All-Star point guard was open to a trade.
READ MORE NBA
Ball took exception to the report, reposting the story on X with a clown emoji.
Could Ball really leave the Hornets?
But where there is smoke, there is fire, and NBA insider Marc Stein has been speaking to talkSPORT and revealed that conversations about Ball have begun around the league before reiterating that the player himself has not declared he wants out.
“There’s already a lot of conversation leaguewide about where things go from here with LaMelo Ball,” Stein said.
“At this point, the early signals, you know, LaMelo Ball has pushed back on the notion that he’s open to a trade.
“It’s very early, the trade season in the NBA starts around December 15th, that’s the date that most players who sign contracts in the summer become trade eligible
“But to this point, the Hornets are saying they don’t want to trade him.”
4
Injuries and fitness have also plagued Ball’s ability to be consistentCredit: GETTY
4
Marc Stein reported that Ball has pushed back on leaving the HornetsCredit: GETTY
LaMelo Ball’s NBA career
This is Ball’s sixth season in the NBA after being drafted by the Hornets in 2020.
Ball has only started more than 40 games twice in his NBA career, and has played 240 games out of a potential 419.
2020-21: 51 games played (31 started)2021-22: 75 games played (75 started)2022-23: 36 games played (36 started)2023-24: 22 games played (22 started)2024-25: 47 games played (47 started)2025-26: 9 games played * so far (9 started)
Later on Friday, Ball told reporters that there was no desire to move on – doubling down on his earlier social media postings.
“I love being here,” Ball said Friday following practice.
“I ain’t saying nothing. I’m just trying to win, that’s it. That’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
Ball also addressed the Yahoo Sports article claiming he wants a trade.
“He never heard that come from me, so the source is not from me,” Ball said. “So it’s just false info.
“When they get too big, you know, you gotta say something.
4
By trading for Ball, the Hornets could rebuild their entire teamCredit: GETTY
“It was so much that it was making headlines in Bleacher Report and this and that, so I didn’t want it to keep going on.”
Hornets coach Charlee Lee also spoke to the media and made clear that Ball is part of his long-term plans.
“He’s a huge, huge piece of what we do, offensively and defensively,” Lee said.
Would teams even want Ball?
While speaking to talkSPORT, Stein importantly mentioned that should the Hornets even want to move Ball, it would require a massive commitment from a trade partner.
Ball signed a max contract of $230 million in July 2023, which runs until the end of the 2029-30 season.
Meaning he has more than $168 million left on his contract, including $37.9 million this season.
“The question is if the Hornets decide, you know what, we’ll take your calls, what’s the market for LaMelo Ball?” Stein said.
“His efficiency has been declining these last few seasons, but more importantly and he has not been able to stay on the court either.
“The Hornets would want to see LaMelo Ball with Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Brandom Miller, and just more often than not, they can’t get the four of them playing together.
“So given the trajectory of LaMelo Ball’s last couple of seasons, it’s a very fair question: What kind of market would the Hornets actually generate? Would there be robust trade interest for LaMelo Ball?”
Read More on talkSPORT
Ultimately, it looks like Ball is focused on Charlotte, and it remains to be seen whether a team like the Hornets could risk letting go of such a talented player.
Stay up to date with the latest from the NBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.