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Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly swung for the fences<\/a> again last week, pulling off the surprise blockbuster trade of the offseason so far.<\/p>\n In the deal, Minnesota sent Naz Reid, a 2033 first round pick, plus a bunch of second round picks and pick swaps to Charlotte in exchange for LaMelo Ball. No doubt it was gutsy, but was it smart?<\/p>\n Some believe Connelly still has moves up his sleeve<\/a>. Others are worried he is out of assets and just lit his last blockbuster deal on fire. Of course, only time will tell us the real answer. And until then, Minnesota\u2019s future outlook depends on who you ask.<\/p>\n Bill Simmons REALLY hates Timberwolves\u2019 future with LaMelo Ball<\/p>\n For example, if you are a Minnesota Timberwolves fan looking for analysis with more of a positive spin toward your favorite basketball team, you may want to steer clear of anything Bill Simmons for a while.<\/p>\n This weekend on the \u201cBill Simmons Show<\/a>\u201c, the extremely popular<\/a> NBA voice gave Charlotte an A or A- grade on the LaMelo trade. The Wolves, meanwhile, got an F\u2026 which stands for \u201cFu***ng hates it.\u201d Like\u2026 a lot.<\/p>\n Simmons believes the trade is a gross overreaction by Minnesota, to their loss against the San Antonio Spurs during the playoffs. He even goes on to say that, if he is right, Anthony Edwards<\/a> will leave because of it\u2026 and maybe Tim Connelly too.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f @BillSimmons<\/a> on the LaMelo Ball trade: “I’m at A- or A for Charlotte\u2026 I couldn’t believe the trade for Minnesota. I f-cking hated it.”<\/p>\n “I get it on paper; LaMelo Ball would solve a lot of problems that you had with Anthony Edwards last year. There’s one problem: He doesn’t\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/bTbMTDJOL6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 r\/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) June 29, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe the trade for Minnesota. I fu***ng hated it. I hated it. I just couldn\u2019t believe it. I wrote down some notes. You do this trade if you want to become the most beloved NBA team with under 25 y\/o fans who play video games and are online a lot. It\u2019s a 2K merchandise-selling trade.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t trust LaMelo at all. And if [the Timberwolves are] wrong, Ant\u2019s leaving. And by the way, Tim Connelly might be leaving too. He\u2019s got a year left on his deal. And if I\u2019m Tim Connelly, I\u2019m cool making this trade \u2019cause if it doesn\u2019t work out, I\u2019m seeing you guys anyway, I\u2019m gonna be out. He\u2019s got a year left on his deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Simmons \u2013 Bill Simmons Podcast<\/a> (Netflix)<\/p>\n If you didn\u2019t watch the video, and just read what I transcribed above, you might think Simmons is a massive LaMelo Ball hater.<\/p>\n And you would be right, which is important to remember before we go any further. But if you haven\u2019t rage-quit this article yet, I recommend you watch\/listen to the entire segment from Sunday\u2019s episode<\/a> of the Bill Simmons Show.<\/p>\n Per usual, especially when it comes to a longform podcast, I can\u2019t possibly portray all of the relevant information in one article. And there was a lot that Simmons had to say on the topic.<\/p>\n LaMelo Ball too weak for Championship run?<\/p>\n While Bill\u2019s personal bias against LaMelo is noteworthy, he\u2019s watched a lot of Hornets games and there\u2019s no doubt his logic is sound. On paper, the former ESPN and Boston Globe reporter<\/a> says it might look like LaMelo will take pressure off Anthony Edwards offensively.<\/p>\n But in reality, this is a hail mary attempt by Minnesota\u2019s front office that is doomed to fail, mostly because \u201che doesn\u2019t fu***ng play\u201d, notes Simmons, who believes Ball is too weak to be a key piece on a championship roster \u2014 not just physically, but mentally too. <\/p>\n So this to me feels like a hail Mary trade that your fans are gonna like, \u2019cause Lamelo is the best player in it. The Charlotte fans are mad \u2019cause they love LaMelo. LaMelo doesn\u2019t fu***ng play. I wrote down, he\u2019s the least durable good guard of the last 25 years.<\/p>\n Six seasons, 9,400 minutes, zero playoff games \u2014 which puts him on this crazy list of guys who have averaged 20 points a game in their first six seasons, but have played less than 10,000 minutes. And it\u2019s basically just him, Ja Morant, Zion and that\u2019s it. He\u2019s not reliable. <\/p>\n I think he has metal in his ankle. Like he, this is not like, oh, Steph Curry had ankle injuries too. La Mel\u2019s injuries are way worse than Steph Curry\u2019s were. And I just wouldn\u2019t have bet on it. I thought this was a crazy trade.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have zero, I repeat zero evidence that Lamella Ball can hold up for one playoff series with his Hoops IQ or the physicality of a playoff series, much less for what Minnesota\u2019s trying to do with a trade like this when four playoff rounds or at least three to get to the finals.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Simmons \u2013 Bill Simmons Podcast<\/a> (Netflix)<\/p>\n LaMelo’s shooting is genuinely fascinating. Basically pushes the ball at the hoop from his chest like a pass. So quick release\/unlimited range, but more interestingly, doesn’t have to be anywhere close to square to the hoop. I mean some of these are like Larry Bird trick shots https:\/\/t.co\/Kk5dfTj7U7<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tEmGrRJQJ6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Key Sang (@Phantele_) June 28, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n There are a lot of questions surrounding what Connelly has done to Minnesota\u2019s roster since being hired back in May of 2022, especially after Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> won an NBA Championship this season and the Wolves have nothing to show for it but a Julius Randle salary dump and a refusal to trade Donte DiVincenzo<\/a>.<\/p>\n One thing you cannot question when it comes to ole\u2019 Timmy Boy\u2026 is that he is absolutely fearless. Not only does is this the latest in a string of blockbuster moves<\/a> to try and push the MN Timberwolves roster over the top, but it is far and away the riskiest.<\/p>\n Tim Connelly chasing his tail?<\/p>\n Connelly was running low<\/a> on tradable assets even before the LaMelo Ball deal. Now, Minnesota\u2019s PoBO is completely out of future draft picks to which he can trade, and unless he changes his stance on DiVincenzo or Joan Beringer<\/a>, they have little to offer in NBA-ready talent.<\/p>\n NBA insider Zach Lowe<\/a>, who was on the show with Simmons, followed up Simmons\u2019 criticisms by saying that there is a feeling around the league a little bit that Minnesota is chasing it\u2019s tail a little bit, from a money standpoint\u2026 just like Dallas.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is this sort of like drip, drip, drip trickle down effect of Minnesota transactions, kind of chasing their own tail a little bit, similar to how Dallas had to chase its own tail\u2026 There\u2019s like a little element of that.<\/p>\n \u2018We traded everything for Gobert. We\u2019re a little asset poor and now we\u2019re really expensive. We\u2019re probably gonna have to trade Towns \u2014 we trade Towns \u2014 okay, that didn\u2019t really work. Now we have to do something else.\u2019 So there\u2019s a little bit of element of like chasing their tail a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n The other drip drip drip thing I neglected to mention in the drip, drip drip of assets is the Dillingham pick not working out\u2026 They had to throw picks and they\u2019re chasing, not just mistakes, \u2019cause I don\u2019t know if the Rudy trade can be classified as a mistake anymore, but it\u2019s like a bettor that is losing and keeps chasing and keeps spending more to try and get even.\u201d<\/p>\n Zach Lowe \u2013 Bill Simmons Podcast<\/a> (Netflix) More About:Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a><\/p>\n Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google. \t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Bill Simmons<\/a> LaMelo Ball<\/a> NBA Offseason<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/google_preferred_source_badge.png\"){kind=icon}
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