LaMelo Ball’s time is up; the Hornets are resetting. What star’s departure means
At the tail end of the season, during the conclusion of a conversation inside a local eatery, Jeff Peterson was asked for a forecast.
Summer months typically bring a flurry of activity within the NBA, because all teams reshuffle the roster with sights set on the next season. And Peterson, the Charlotte Hornets’ president of basketball operations, didn’t blink when the subject of player movement was broached in a wide-ranging chat about myriad topics.
“Fairly good free-agent class,” Peterson told The Charlotte Observer in April. “At the same time, since the league implemented these new rules, the first- and second-apron team building has become a little bit more punitive. You’ve got to be very diligent and thorough in how you do it.
“You can’t just go pay everyone and things like that because it will compromise your future. But nonetheless, there’s always going to be some movement. I expect it to be a decent amount this year, whether it’s free agency or trades.”
That’s when Peterson mentioned the 2023-24 NBA champions.
“Last year a team like Boston, they had to essentially offload the roster to get under the second apron,” Peterson said. “And they’ve done a tremendous job of continuing to stay competitive. But, yeah, I do think there will be some movement for sure.”
Who knew Peterson would be among the first behind that flurry of activity?
By agreeing to a trade Thursday morning that sends LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Hornets are essentially undergoing a reset that will likely result in keeping the NBA’s longest playoff drought intact for at least one more year.
Save for Naz Reid, who is expected to add some needed physicality to the roster, the Hornets are banking on arming themselves with draft capital they believe will assist them in future transactions.
Charlotte received a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swaps from 2028-30 and second-round picks in 2029, 2032 and 2033 in the deal — a haul of assets that’s undoubtedly better than what the Dallas Mavericks got for sending Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Hornets also received a trade exception of $40.7 million, the largest in league history.
Easily, it was the best offer the Hornets received for Ball, who was also on the radar of the Toronto Raptors and others.
“I think it was a very good return,” said a high-ranking official on a team in the Eastern Conference.
Still, it’ll be fascinating to see how it works out on both ends.
From Minnesota’s perspective, can two players who are ball-dominant flourish together? Ball can obviously play off the ball and be a shooter.
However, he’s at his best when he is sizing up the defense with the dribble. It’s going to be an adjustment for Ball teaming up with Anthony Edwards and that transition certainly won’t be seamless or immediate.
Questions are already surfacing about the effectiveness of the tandem.
“No idea,” the executive said when asked what the Timberwolves were thinking in acquiring Ball, putting him alongside Edwards.
The Hornets shipped off one of the most popular players in franchise history, banking on the draft capital and a chance to smartly divvy up the salary cap space they created. Ball, who’s eligible for a contract extension this summer, is scheduled to earn $40.7 million in 2026-27. After that, he still has two seasons remaining on the five-year, $208.3 million max deal he inked with the Hornets in 2023.
If Ball doesn’t sign an extension, he’d become an unrestricted free agent leading into 2029-30 and be eligible for a salary of roughly $67.9 million in that first season. That’s a lot of dough and obviously a path the Hornets weren’t willing to cross.
Charlotte’s ownership, led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, built up a lot of cachet among the fanbase over the past three years since transitioning into power, and the last thing the Hornets want to do is alienate that trust. And they know it, which is why the importance of explaining the moves can’t be understated.
Until the deal is official, which won’t happen until after the NBA moratorium ends at 12:01 p.m. ET on July 6, the Hornets can’t comment publicly because of tampering rules. So, during a pre-planned media session Thursday at a local food pantry, The Observer asked Schnall and Plotkin about making difficult roster moves in general and the necessity of keeping the fans’ faith in the right place.
“We want to become the premier franchise and build a championship-caliber organization,” Plotkin said. “And that’s our goal. Every decision we make is ultimately to get there and to create that opportunity over the long term. We have to prove that to our fans.
“I think we have established a real track record of that, and we will continue to do that.”
The Hornets likely aren’t finished wheeling and dealing. League sources have suggested Miles Bridges, who’s entering the final season of his four-year, $75 million contract, is also available for the right offer.
Don’t expect a big splash otherwise, though.
Jaylen Brown, from all indications, isn’t bound for Charlotte. The 2024 Finals MVP surely prefers a team with a playoff-ready roster and that current timeline of the Boston Celtics’ star doesn’t match up with the Hornets after sending Ball to the Midwest.
Plus, harkening back to that chat with Peterson in the spring, he doesn’t believe in giving up a bevy of assets unless absolutely necessary for the right addition.
“It just kind of depends on which team you’re dealing with or whatnot, what the market is,” Peterson said then. “I certainly don’t want to be in the business of overpaying for a player at this point. There could be a point where you have to do that. But it’s not an exact science.
“You’re certainly going to get something wrong. But you’ve got to be pretty sure, the confidence interval has to be high if you’re going to put all your chips in and go to the player. I think we’ve seen plenty of examples, whether right or wrong.”
And only time will truly tell which side shedding Ball falls on.
This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "LaMelo Ball’s time is up; the Hornets are resetting. What star’s departure means."
