New LaMelo Ball Rumors on Why Hornets Put Star PG on Trade Block After Giannis, Jaylen Brown Buzz

Despite their late-season surge that created a lot of optimism for their current core, the Charlotte Hornets may not be running it back in 2026-27 after putting LaMelo Ball on the trade block.

Appearing on Thursday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained the Hornets' thought process in making Ball available in the wake of Giannis Antetokounmpo set to be traded to the Miami Heat and Jaylen Brown also potentially being on the market:

"This is a bit of a pinch-point for the Hornets. The Hornets have this situation where he's coming off a season where he's been healthy, hasn't been this healthy in years. His value has not been higher. They are sort of quasi-pivoting to Kon Knueppel as their franchise player, the guy they want to build around. And there's these teams out there that were interested in either Jaylen Brown or Giannis Antetokounmpo who are interested in a big splash acquisition, so there's a bit of a market for him. So, I wouldn't say this is a guarantee to happen, but I definitely think the Hornets are trying to see what the market for him is."

After the draft concluded on Wednesday night, ESPN's Shams Charania reported the Hornets were engaged in trade talks involving Ball with multiple teams "strongly" in pursuit of the former Rookie of the Year.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors are among the teams with the most interest in Ball.

It's an interesting time for the Hornets to explore a move for Ball because of how well they closed the 2025-26 campaign. They went 18-7 over the final 25 games in the regular season with an NBA-best plus-12.4 net rating during that stretch.

That run did see the Hornets beat up on plenty of tanking teams, but they also had wins over the New York Knicks (twice), Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves along the way.

The Hornets' season ended in a disappointing fashion with a 121-90 loss to the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

As Windhorst pointed out, though, Ball's availability last season has not been a trend throughout his career. His 72 games played marked just the second time in six seasons he has reached the 60-game threshold.

Ball's contract also pays him more than $40 million in each of the next three seasons. He is also eligible to extend his deal for up to two years and $119.2 million starting July 6.

There isn't an obvious replacement at point guard for Ball currently on the Hornets' roster if they do trade him. Coby White, who is set to become a free agent after being acquired by Charlotte in February, could be an option if he is brought back.

The Hornets could also look to bring someone in from the outside, either via free agency or trade, with the money they would save if Ball gets dealt.

Ball averaged 20.1 points on 36.8 percent three-point shooting, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2025-26. He has averaged at least 20.0 points and 7.0 assists per contest in five consecutive seasons.