When the offseason started, all eyes were on where Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown would end up. After the former got traded earlier this week, it was supposed to be the latter’s turn. And even Anthony Edwards’ name came up, not as a trade candidate this season, but as a disgruntled star who could be the next big name to start making some noise.
Not only did the Timberwolves not move Edwards, but they got him a running mate who could appeal to his desire to have more help around him. Late Wednesday night, rumors surrounding the availability of LaMelo Ball surfaced. It came as a surprise to many as the young point guard had just spearheaded an incredibly strong second half of the season for the Hornets. He played in 72 games, which was the second-most of his career, and the most since his second year in the league. He was analytically among the most impactful offensive players in the league. And it looked like he was well on his way to leading a dynamic trio of himself, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel to a new age of Hornets basketball.
Less than 24 hours after the initial reports came out, Ball was swiftly traded away, and it wasn’t like the Hornets received an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Charlotte landed a return package comprised of Naz Reid, an unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks. That isn’t nothing, but it still feels rather underwhelming for a player of Ball’s caliber, and the Hornets are likely worse after agreeing to the trade.
The aftermath speculation is that the Hornets wanted to get ahead of Ball’s second major NBA contract while selling high on a player who just had his healthiest and best season in years. Obviously, the Timberwolves got better. They lack real front court depth after trading away both Julius Randle and Reid, and will surely have to eventually address that. But Ball, Minnesota, finally provides Edwards with another creator who can consistently create advantages on offense. For years, the Wolves had gone with the band-aid fixes of Donte DiVincenzo and the shell of Mike Conley.
Ant now has a bit of the pressure taken off of him, and it should create a very entertaining backcourt with the star power and offensive capabilities to match pretty much any unit across the NBA. If the Wolves can shore up their front court with a bit more size and firepower, they now have the offensive ceiling to at least give the Thunder and Spurs a run for their money. And with those three teams, the Lakers, and Nuggets all believing they can win now, the West should once again be exciting and closely contested at the top.
The Hornets, on the other hand, get some picks back and now have a treasure trove of picks for the upcoming years. On paper, however, they are very clearly a worse team. They did re-sign Coby White, who had played incredibly well as a Hornet in the second half of the season and will provide Miller and Knueppel with ample scoring support and playmaking. But he’s still no Ball. White isn’t the playmaker or shooter that Ball is, and the Hornets could see some offensive regression because of that. He offers some more stability in a way; he’s less injury prone, having played 104 more games than Ball since Ball’s first year in the league, and his cheaper contract also gives the Hornets more flexibility moving forward.
Not only can they save some money for Miller and Knueppel’s extensions when necessary, but they also have more money to round out the rest of the roster this summer. On top of that, the draft picks will allow them to maybe go star hunting down the road. It just needs to be reiterated, though, that the Hornets, as of right now, are worse than they were yesterday.
The Eastern Conference likely took a short sigh of relief after hearing about this deal. The Hornets were probably still a piece or two short of being real contenders at the level of the Knicks, Celtics, Pistons, and Cavaliers. They lack postseason experience, as was evident in their final play-in game, and they still need a bit more depth. But the way they played down the stretch had a lot of teams sweating. They truly looked like an up-and-coming team, and it wouldn’t have surprised people if they took a jump similar to the one the Pistons took over the last couple of years.
White is a solid point guard who can replicate some of the things that Ball did, but the Hornets won’t be nearly as scary with White as their starting point guard. Because of that, this trade won’t impact the aforementioned contenders much. They got their own problems and many other and better teams to worry about. But now, teams like the Hawks, Raptors, and Magic, who are in that second or third tier of teams in the conference, will have a slightly easier time making the playoffs once again.
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