Hornets star LaMelo Ball is headed to Minnesota, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Charlotte has reached an agreement to trade Ball and wing Josh Green to the Timberwolves.
In return, the Hornets will acquire big man Naz Reid, the Timberwolves’ unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, and 2030), and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, and 2033), sources tell Charania.
The deal figures to be folded into the Timberwolves’ Julius Randle trade involving the Nets and Bulls for salary-matching purposes, in which case it will be completed after the new league year begins in July.
Ball, the NBA’s 2021 Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2022, had trouble staying on the court from 2022-25 — he appeared in just 105 total regular season games across those three seasons as he dealt with recurring ankle injuries. However, he stayed healthy in 2025/26, appearing in 72 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 28.0 minutes per contest as he led Charlotte to a 28-10 finish and a play-in berth.
Based on Ball’s strong season and the Hornets’ return to competitiveness, it came as a bit of a surprise when multiple reports indicated late on Wednesday night that the team was engaged in trade talks involving the 24-year-old point guard and might make a deal as soon as this week. Those reports indicated that Ball was happy in Charlotte and that the Hornets hadn’t been actively shopping him, but multiple teams – including Minnesota and the Raptors – were said to be aggressively pursuing him.
Between sending out Randle and fan favorite Reid and acquiring Ball, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is massively overhauling his roster following a disappointing second-round playoff exit this spring. According to Jon Krawczynski and Sam Amick of The Athletic, both Connelly and head coach Chris Finch have “long admired” Ball’s game and think that his passing ability and his high-volume three-point shooting will make him a natural fit next to Edwards.
In acquiring Ball, the Timberwolves will be pairing the first and third overall picks from the 2020 draft and will be addressing a point guard position that was somewhat problematic during the 2025/26 season. With 38-year-old Mike Conley taking on a reduced role and Rob Dillingham not developing like the Wolves had hoped, Donte DiVincenzo was the club’s starting point guard for most of the season, despite it not being his natural position. DiVincenzo suffered a torn Achilles during the playoffs and is expected to miss most or all of 2026/27.
More to come…
