Lonzo Ball Predicts Hornets Will Trade Brother LaMelo to Clippers, Draft Dylan Harper
Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball predicted that his younger brother, Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball, will be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2025 offseason.
"I lowkey got Dylan Harper going to the Hornets and I got Melo going to the Clips," Lonzo said on his What An Experience podcast.
The Hornets own the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and could take Harper if he's still on the board. The Rutgers guard was projected to be selected with the No. 2 choice in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.
As for LaMelo, he's earned an All-Star nod to go along with Rookie of the Year honors during his tenure with Charlotte but has struggled to stay on the floor for extended stretches of time.
The younger Ball brother has appeared in just 105 combined games over the past three seasons and was limited to a mere 47 starts during his 2024-25 campaign due to ankle and wrist injuries.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the team is looking to move him, though.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps previously reported that the Hornets have "no interest" in parting ways with LaMelo.
Charlotte's hesitancy to move on from him makes sense, as it's difficult to imagine the team improving upon a 19-63 finish without the lead guard. Despite his limited availability during the regular season, he still averaged 25.2 points and 7.4 assists per game.
The Clippers suffered a first-round playoff elimination in 2025, falling to the Denver Nuggets in seven games. Team president Lawrence Frank still expressed his belief in Los Angeles' star duo of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, though.
While Harper landing on the Hornets may not seem far-fetched, it doesn't appear as likely that they'll trade LaMelo to the Clippers.
