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LaMelo Ball Landing Spots After Surprise NBA Trade Rumor
On Thursday, the NBA rumor mill started churning a little faster, following a report from Yahoo Sports' Kelly Iko.
On X, he wrote: "Amidst a rough 4-11 start, Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball has grown increasingly frustrated with the organization and is open to a trade..."
It should be noted Ball himself has already clapped back at the report with a clown emoji, but if he really is potentially on the move, a number of teams could be interested.
Ball, though oft-injured, is a 6'7", volume playmaker with averages of 24.1 points, 8.0 assists and 3.7 threes over the last four seasons. His talent is still tantalizing, even if the Hornets haven't won much with him on the roster.
The teams he could most help both now and in the future are below.
Portland Trail Blazers
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At one point, LaMelo Ball and Deni Avdija shared a division, but the latter found his way to a far more competitive team. And the former could push the Portland Trail Blazers closer to a playoff spot.
They're in the bottom third of the league in points allowed per 100 possessions, but there's enough defensive talent on the roster to believe they can get better on that end. Where they could use an external boost is on the other end, and Ball could juice the attack with his passing and volume shooting.
Portland has plenty of salary-matching fodder with Jerami Grant's contract, and it could offer the Hornets some untapped potential in the form of Scoot Henderson. That and a little draft capital could be enough to entice Charlotte.
And if it is, the Blazers would suddenly have a dynamic one-two punch with Avdija and Ball, both of whom can score, initiate offense and set up teammates for easy looks.
They'd also, presumably, still have Jrue Holiday, who has plenty of experience playing alongside ball-dominant wings and guards and could provide some veteran mentorship (along with Damian Lillard) to Ball, who hasn't had a ton of that in Charlotte.
Potential Deal: Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson and a 2028 first-round pick (via Orlando) for LaMelo Ball
Los Angeles Clippers
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Something may have to give pretty soon for the Los Angeles Clippers.
After going 50-32 and pushing the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the 2025 playoffs, L.A. loaded up on even more veteran talent in the offseason and entered 2025-26 expecting to be a title contender.
A month into the season, the Clippers are 4-11. Kawhi Leonard is out with an ankle injury, and James Harden can't carry a roster that simply looks too old to compete in the West.
The Clippers could take a lot of pressure off him (and Leonard) by adding Ball. They can offer the Hornets contracts that are shorter than LaMelo's, a first-round pick and maybe a young talent such as Yanic Konan Niederhรคuser or Cam Christie.
L.A. would also get a lot younger at the top of the roster. Ball just turned 24 this past offseason.
Potential Deal: John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr., Cam Christie and a top-5 protected 2032 first-round pick for LaMelo Ball
Miami Heat
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No, NBA media outlets are not contractually obligated to mention the Miami Heat every time a star potentially becomes available. They just come up often because the organization has so often gone star-hunting. And in this case, the star would fit pretty well.
They have one of the league's best bigs in Bam Adebayo. And while pairing him with Tyler Herro theoretically gives Miami a strong inside-out duo, the Heat have typically been worse with Herro on the floor in the playoffs.
Whether Herro would be in the deal or not, adding Ball to lineups with Adebayo would give the big man a playmaker who thinks pass more often (even if Ball isn't a traditional pass-first 1).
Those two could instantly be one of the league's more dangerous pick-and-roll combos, and Miami could make an aggressive offer with picks, plenty of outgoing salary and a young talent such as Nikola Joviฤ.
Potential Deals: Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Joviฤ and a lottery-protected 2030 first-round pick for LaMelo Ball... or similar configurations with Tyler Herro or even Terry Rozier as the big outgoing salary. Obviously, swapping those players in for Wiggins would change the kind of draft capital going back to Charlotte. Better value would have to be attached to Rozier. If it was Herro and Joviฤ, Miami might insist on sending no picks at all.
Dallas Mavericks
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At the risk of beating a dead horse, the Luka Donฤiฤ trade made no sense on any front. And now that it's done, the Mavericks have a roster that fits Luka far better than it fits Cooper Flagg (or Anthony Davis).
Instead of trying to make it work as is, Dallas needs to get aggressive in trying to rebalance the team. And while Ball isn't a perfect fit next to Flagg, he'd certainly do more for his (and the rest of the team's) offense than Davis. He's also almost nine years younger than the future Hall of Fame big man.
As good as AD is, he's not an offensive engine. Ball can be. He'd set up easy, open looks for Flagg. His outside shooting would make the middle of the floor a little clearer for Flagg's slashing.
There would be a temptation to look at Ball as a Luka replacement, and he wouldn't be that, but he'd at least give a team in dire need of passing, shooting and playmaking someone who can bring all of that.
Potential Deal: Anthony Davis for LaMelo Ball, Grant Williams, Liam McNeeley, a top-5 protected 2028 first-round pick and a lottery-protected 2030 first-round pick
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