The Minnesota Timberwolves just pulled off the most audacious trade of the offseason. LaMelo Ball is heading to Minneapolis along with Josh Green, with Naz Reid and a haul of picks going back to the Charlotte Hornets in return.
The full package is enormous. Charlotte gets Reid, an unprotected 2033 first round pick, three first round swap rights, and three second round picks. Minnesota gets two players, including a 24 year old All-Star guard who reportedly intends to re-sign with the Wolves on a five-year, $112 million contract.
This is a franchise-defining swing. Tim Connelly just paired Anthony Edwards with another lottery talent in the backcourt. The Wolves are going to have one of the most explosive offensive duos in basketball, with Edwards as the alpha scorer and Ball as the offensive engine running everything.
Ball averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists in Charlotte last season. The Hornets, even when they were trying, could not surround him with talent. He has spent his career as a creative passer trapped on bad teams. In Minnesota, he gets to play with a top 10 player and a real playoff infrastructure for the first time in his career.
The risk is also enormous. Ball has dealt with chronic ankle issues throughout his NBA career. He has missed significant time in three of the last four seasons. The Wolves are betting that better training staff, better playoff stakes, and a five-year max deal will keep him healthy.
Losing Naz Reid hurts. He was Minnesota’s best frontcourt depth piece and a legitimate stretch big who could close games. Replacing his minutes will not be easy. The Wolves are now thin in the frontcourt behind Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, which is a problem they will need to solve before training camp.
The picks are the real cost. Giving up an unprotected 2033 first along with three swaps is a future mortgage. Minnesota is betting that Edwards and Ball can win a title before the bill comes due. If they cannot, this trade is going to age very poorly.
Charlotte made the only move they could. The Hornets were never going to contend with Ball on a max deal. They get a useful big in Reid, an enormous pile of draft capital, and the ability to officially reset. Rookie president Jeff Peterson just got his rebuild started.
For Minnesota, this is win-now. Connelly explored Jaylen Brown trades before pivoting to Ball. He decided he liked the fit better, and he got the deal done before the draft. The Wolves are betting big. The Western Conference just got even more interesting.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
