NBA Insider Reveals LaMelo's Trade Value vs. Ja Morant & Trae Young, 'It's Not Close'

At a point when the stock for LaMelo Ball, Trae Young and Ja Morant appears to be as low as it has been since all of them turned pro, at least one prominent NBA insider believes Ball would still have the highest trade value from that group.

Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast (starts at 30:44 mark), The Ringer's Zach Lowe said he believes "it's not close" that Ball would have the most trade value when compared with Young and Morant.

Lowe added he spoke to one current general manager who agreed that Ball can still be a good and useful player in the NBA because you "can't teach" the height and floor vision he possesses.

All three players have become lightning rods for various reasons, leaving their status with their current teams unclear.

Morant has been suspended multiple times for off-court incidents, in addition to publicly questioning the decisions made by his head coach. Young has dealt with questions about his defensive ability and how it impacts a team's chances of competing for a championship throughout his career.

Earlier this month, one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks that all three of them "might have negative value" in a trade. This doesn't necessarily mean Ball wouldn't have the most value, but that none of them would bring back a significant return.

There are some reasons to believe that another team would bet on Ball living up to the potential he had leading up to the 2020 draft. He is the youngest member of the trio by more than two full years and won't turn 25 until August.

Ball averaged more than 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game in each of the previous four seasons.

The downside is clear because Ball hasn't shown an ability to stay on the court. He has already missed 10 games this season and missed at least 21 games in four of his first five seasons.

Another problem is Ball also has the most time left on his contract compared to the other two. He is signed through the 2028-29 with salaries over $40 million in each of the next three seasons.

Morant has two more guaranteed years on his deal after this season. Young can become a free agent after this season by turning down his $49 million player option for 2026-27.

Given how careful NBA teams are being about who they give big-money deals to as a result of the apron rules, Ball still being owed $130.7 million after this season makes it hard to envision the Charlotte Hornets getting a huge return for him.

If you are a team that still believes in the upside of a 24-year-old who was an All-Star in his second season and can coach some of the bad habits out of his game that have developed in recent years, there's certainly a world where Ball could be a positive trade asset for an acquiring club if the Hornets decide to move him.