Why did Hornets trade star LaMelo Ball? Jeff Peterson finally explains reasoning
An upward trend appeared to be in the works, evidenced by the final stretch of the regular season.
The star point guard’s body even held up better than it had in the previous four years, allowing the face of the franchise to log a personal-best number of minutes since 2021-22.
The national spotlight, with the final glare coming in the NBA’s play-in tournament, was becoming more of the norm, exciting a starved fanbase desperate for success and somewhat numb thanks to the NBA’s longest current playoff drought.
Yet, just hours after the conclusion of the second day of the NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets said goodbye to the LaMelo Ball era, sending him to Minnesota for Naz Reid even though the star guard loved it in the Carolinas.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that we had a successful season last year by a lot of people’s standards, and of course LaMelo was a huge part of that,” Jeff Peterson, the Hornets’ president of basketball operations, said Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. “But again, sometimes these decisions, they can be challenging. But ultimately I do feel a responsibility to the organization and to the fans really across the world of the Hornets to do what’s best for the long term of the franchise.
“Wish LaMelo nothing but the best because he’s a great person, a great player. But ultimately we felt like again receiving Naz Reid and of course the draft capital that we were able to receive is going to offer more flexibility for us moving forward.”
On Friday, the Hornets officially executed the four-team trade with Brooklyn, Chicago and Minnesota, sending Ball and Josh Green to the Timberwolves in exchange for Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, and second-round picks in 2029, 2032 and 2033.
As part of the deal, Charlotte also picked up the draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo from Minnesota while also getting Mouhamadou Gueye from the Chicago Bulls to send him to the Timberwolves.
But why now?
“Yeah, look, again, these decisions are challenging at times, but when you look at the totality of the season and everything of where we were, it’s important to take an honest look in the mirror of where you guys are as a team,” Peterson said. “And that’s what I had to do at the end of the season. And I just feel like again, the goal is never to compete for a play-in spot. The goal isn’t to get to the play-in or even the playoffs for one year.”
That’s when he reiterated one of the things he’s been constantly preaching in the two-plus years since he was tabbed as the person in charge of making the Hornets’ personnel moves.
“I’ve said it plenty of times since I’ve been here in Charlotte,” he said. “The goal is to get to the playoffs and stay there for a long time and then eventually contend and compete for championships. So again, just the timing from the standpoint I’ll go back to getting Naz Reid. When you can get a player of his caliber and, of course, the draft capital and the flexibility, we just felt like it was something that was able to achieve multiple goals in one transaction.”
Even if it’s an unpopular move among a fan base and has some wondering whether Peterson may have put his job on the line, similar to former Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison with the Luka Dončić trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I never look at these decisions in terms of is this going to help me preserve my job,” Peterson said. “That’s not what I do this for. Again, at the highest level I feel like I have a responsibility to do what’s best for the Charlotte Hornets’ fan base and the organization.
“So, not one time will you ever see me make a decision — whether it’s draft, trade, free agency — and look at it through the lens of if this goes well I’m saved and if it doesn’t, I’m going to get fired. That’s not why I do it. That’s not why I will ever do it. Ultimately, it was a challenging decision.”
Here are the takeaways from Peterson’s chat with the media:
The sustainability buzzword
In explaining the move, Peterson kept referring to “sustainability.”
Along with acquiring more draft capital and financial flexibility aided by a $40.7 million trade exception — the largest in NBA history — the Hornets believe they have positioned themselves well to be in the market for premium talent.
“We are never going to make moves that are 365 days in a vacuum,” Peterson said. “Everything that we do is through the lens of years to come. Again, sustainability is the key word here. I could not be more excited about the roster right now. I’m not going to sit here and put a win total, expectation or anything like that. Because quite frankly I don’t think many people in the room thought we were going to win 44 games.
“So, I think it’s silly to put a cap on what this team can do and where they can go. I’m just excited because I know in that locker room we have a ton of guys ready to compete, guys who have bought in, are skilled and competitive. I can’t wait for the season to start and to see this group go out and compete together.”
Gushing over Naz Reid
Peterson said he’s had his eyes on Reid for a while, going back to his days as an assistant general manager with the Brooklyn Nets. He’s bullish on what the veteran big man adds to the Hornets.
Reid’s willingness to sacrifice role and stats for team success aligns closely with organizational values.
“One of the reasons he went undrafted is just there were some concerns with his work ethic,” Peterson said. “And this is why I give Naz all the credit in the world, because we’ve seen a lot of guys just start blaming people. ‘They didn’t pick me for this reason’ or whatever it may be, and end up kind of self-imploding their career.
“And Naz took the exact opposite approach. He didn’t blame others. He took ownership, he took accountability, he got in the gym more, he changed his body, continued to work on his game, and now we see where he is. … He could start on any team in the NBA.”
Building around Kon and Brandon
Peterson was reluctant to tab anyone on the roster as the next face of the franchise, unwilling to put the onus on either of tier two rising stars Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller.
But there’s little doubt the Hornets are building around the duo with the departures of Ball to Minnesota and Miles Bridges headed to Phoenix in another trade that has yet to become official.
“Brandon, I think everyone would agree he’s an enormous talent,” Peterson said. “He showed tremendous amount of growth last season battling through an injury, but was able to continue to persevere and again help us achieve some results that made our fan base and us very, very excited, proud. So, it’s just his willingness to continue to fight through some pain and play through some injuries.
“Of course, everyone knows he’s skilled and athletic, and he has a true desire to win and continue to get better. So could not be more excited to be going into next season with Brandon Miller on our squad.”
Same goes for Knueppel, the runner-up in the NBA’s rookie of the year vote to good buddy and fellow Duke product Cooper Flagg.
“He just wants to continue to maximize himself,” Peterson said, “and ultimately do whatever he needs to do to get better and help us achieve the results that we want to achieve.”
Brandon Miller’s health, future contract
Brandon Miller is on the mend and could be getting paid before the season starts.
Miller is recovering from having a surgical procedure in May to address left shoulder instability. He played through the injury for most of the 2025-26 season after it initially happened during Charlotte’s second game of the season in Philadelphia.
Miller is hanging with the rest of the Hornets’ veterans in town during Las Vegas Summer League action and is in good spirits, suggesting he’s on the right path to getting fully healed.
“I’ve been very, very pleased with the way he’s attacking his rehab,” Peterson said. “He’s in the gym constantly. He knows he has to continue to work on his body and get stronger, and he’s taking that to heart. So, at the same time, he’s also doing everything that he can on the court in terms of just being creative with different drills.
“Continues to again get better in the ways that he can. So, really excited about that.”
Miller will earn $15 million in the final season of his four-year, $49.3 million rookie deal and is eligible for a contract extension that can pay him north of $200 million.
Talks are ongoing.
“I’ve had conversations with Brandon and his representation,” Peterson said. “They know that we want Brandon here for a very, very long time. So, I won’t get into the particulars of what we discussed, but bottom line is we want Brandon Miller here for a very long time.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Why did Hornets trade star LaMelo Ball? Jeff Peterson finally explains reasoning."
