LaMelo Ball traded to Timberwolves to team up with fellow top pick Anthony Edwards in blockbuster deal: report

One of the hottest names successful the NBA is connected the determination to a contender.

The Charlotte Hornets reportedly traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves connected Thursday, teaming the 3rd wide prime of the 2020 NBA Draft with the archetypal wide prime that twelvemonth successful Anthony Edwards.

Ball, the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year, has go 1 of the champion guards successful the league, averaging 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, though injuries person hampered him. He played successful conscionable 105 games from the commencement of the 2022-23 play done the 2024-25 campaign.

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Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves interacts with LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets during the 3rd 4th astatine Target Center successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected Jan. 22, 2024. The Hornets defeated the Timberwolves 128-125. (David Berding/Getty Images)

The Hornets person not been capable to interruption their playoff drought, which has been successful spot since the 2015-16 season, and opted to commercialized Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, 3 first-round prime swaps and 3 second-round picks.

The T-Wolves person made the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons, including appearances successful the Western Conference Finals successful 2024 and 2025, truthful it makes consciousness to bring successful Ball to assistance retired Edwards, who dropped a career-high 28.8 points per crippled this past season.

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets passes the shot during a crippled against the Minnesota Timberwolves astatine Target Center successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected Feb. 24, 2023. (David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images)

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And possibly due to the fact that of Ball's durability concerns, Charlotte added to an already affluent postulation of draught assets that includes six first-round picks and 8 second-rounders implicit the adjacent 3 offseasons. They conscionable selected Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson with the 14th and 18th selections earlier this week and took erstwhile Duke prima Kon Knueppel with the 4th enactment past year.

In 2023, Ball signed a five-year, $260 cardinal declaration hold and said helium felt the squad was connected the way to success.

"I deliberation it’s conscionable a large presumption and I deliberation we are each going the close mode now," helium said astatine the time.

Charlotte Hornets defender LaMelo Ball dribbles the shot upcourt against the Houston Rockets during the archetypal 4th astatine Spectrum Center successful Charlotte, N.C., connected Feb. 19, 2026. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

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That evidently was not the case, but connected a idiosyncratic note, Ball is present backmost connected that path.

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