The Charlotte Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a major package including Naz Reid and multiple draft assets. The deal changes the Hornets’ long-term rebuild plans and accelerates Minnesota’s win-now push around Anthony Edwards.
The night Charlotte made it official arrived with a sting for Hornets fans: LaMelo Ball, the third overall pick in 2020 who became the face of their offense, was no longer coming off the bench or taking the floor at Spectrum Center.
The Charlotte Hornets traded guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN.com.
Charlotte also sent guard Josh Green to Minnesota. In return. Minnesota sent center/forward Naz Reid. a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year. along with a 2033 unprotected first-round pick. three first-round pick swaps (2028. 2029. 2030). and three second-round picks (2029. 2032. 2033) back to Charlotte.
Ball’s move comes with immediate basketball consequences and long-term contract math. Ball is 24 and averaged 20.1 points. 4.8 rebounds. 7.1 assists. and 1.2 steals in 72 games last season for Charlotte. a team that reached the NBA Play-in Tournament this season but has missed the playoffs in each of the past 10 years.
His career has been shaped by injuries. Across his six NBA seasons, Ball has dealt with significant ankle and lower leg injuries, a reminder that any team taking on his contract is also betting on availability.
Still, Charlotte drafted him with clarity and won big on the timeline. The Hornets selected Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2021.
On the business side, Ball has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $203.9 million contract signed with Charlotte. He is set to make $40.8 million during the 2026-27 season. He is eligible to sign a two-year, $119.2 million extension once the NBA free agency moratorium ends on July 6.
With Ball gone, Charlotte is reshaping the roster it now plans to lean on. The Hornets are building around forward Brandon Miller and forward Kon Knueppel, who led the league in 3-pointers and finished second in the rookie of the year balloting last season.
Charlotte also used its draft and acquisitions to pivot. The Hornets added Hannes Steinbach, who led the NCAA in rebounding in the 2026 NBA Draft, and guard Christian Anderson Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick.
For Minnesota, the trade is built around partnership and impact. Reid is 26 and averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 77 games for Minnesota, entering the second season of a five-year, $125 million deal he signed in 2025.
The Timberwolves are essentially swapping out a proven contributor for a high-ceiling playmaker—pairing Ball with star guard Anthony Edwards. Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in Ball’s draft class, now gets a new running mate in Minnesota’s backcourt. With that combination, the Timberwolves instantly project as one of the more formidable guard-driven teams in the Western Conference.
This is also the continuation of a specific Minnesota posture. By shipping Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade earlier in the offseason and re-signing guard Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year. $112 million contract. the Timberwolves have kept their focus on immediate contention under owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
But the price of that urgency is showing up on the balance sheet. Currently, Minnesota is nearly $5 million over the luxury tax after taking on Ball’s and Green’s contracts.
Charlotte, meanwhile, can point to a promising end of the season even as it makes the deal. The Hornets won 28 of its last 38 games but lost to the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament.
Still, the decisions made around Ball and Green suggest the franchise is choosing a clear direction—one that trades away a star with injury history and major salary commitments, for a rebuild centered on Miller and Knueppel and reinforced by new draft pieces.
Across the league, the trade changes how the next few months will feel: for Charlotte, it’s about building toward a different identity; for Minnesota, it’s about doubling down now, even as the luxury-tax bill rises.
LaMelo Ball Timberwolves Hornets Naz Reid Josh Green Anthony Edwards NBA trade luxury tax draft picks Marc Lore Alex Rodriguez