The Charlotte Hornets have been much worse than they anticipated being. They sit 12th in the Eastern Conference standings and have had various players be injured at times this season. LaMelo Ball has been one of those injured players.
Ball has missed seven games this season due to an ankle injury. When he has been on the court, he hasn’t been very good. He’s averaging the least amount of points since his rookie season. In recent games, he has been benched during closing time, too.
Perhaps that is part of he reason why Ball is now reportedly open to being moved in a trade. Bleacher Report has a trade proposal that would have the Hornets receive quite a haul for him in return.
GettyLaMelo Ball looks down the court. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
Hornets Get Massive Package in Trade Proposal
Here is the full trade proposal:
Dallas Mavericks Receive:
- PG LaMelo Ball (from Hornets)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive:
- G/F Klay Thompson (from Mavs)
- C Daniel Gafford (from Mavs)
Charlotte Hornets Receive:
- SG Max Christie (from Mavs)
- F Rui Hachimura (from Lakers)
- F Dalton Knecht (from Lakers)
- PG Gabe Vincent (from Lakers)
- 2029 first-round pick (unprotected via Lakers from Mavericks)
If the Hornets decide that they are done building around Ball, they could do a lot worse than this package in return. Hachimura gives Charlotte some shooting and solid defense. Knecht is someone Charlotte is clearly interested in after they tried to acquire him last season.
Getting a first-round pick that is from the Mavericks is huge, even if it’s still three years away. Ball doesn’t seem to be happy in Charlotte anymore, so sending him to Dallas might be the smart move. Miller and Kon Knueppel would be the new foundational pieces of the franchise.
Charlotte would still need to find a point guard who is reliable. Vincent is more injury-prone than Ball is, so that would be a problem for them. They would likely solve that issue by using their first-round pick on a point guard in next year’s NBA Draft.
GettyLaMelo Ball looks on during a game. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
LaMelo Ball Claims He Wants to be in Charlotte
Despite the reports that Ball wants to leave Charlotte, he claims that he wants to stay. When asked about the report, Ball denied that it came from him.
“I love being here. I ain’t saying nothing. I’m just trying to win, that’s it. That’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
Ball has the lowest net rating of his career so far, so things are not going great for him when he is even on the court. The Hornets signed him to a five-year extension worth $203.8 million in 2023, and they were hoping to have him blossom into a true superstar.
Instead, it looks increasingly likely that the marriage between Charlotte and Ball is going to come to an end. If it does, the Hornets must get the proper assets to make sure they can build around Miller and Knueppel for the next few years.
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