LaMelo Ball's Reaction to Surprise Wolves-Hornets Trade, Anthony Edwards Duo Revealed in NBA Rumors

Having never played alongside an All-Star during his six-year tenure with the Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo Ball is relishing the chance to do so as he is set to team up with Anthony Edwards on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the aftermath of the Hornets agreeing to send Ball to Minnesota, ESPN's Shams Charania relayed Ball's mindset going into the next phase of his career.

"A source close to LaMelo Ball tells me now that he is excited to go to Minnesota and he wants to team up with Anthony Edwards bad to try to win some championships," Charania said on Get Up.

"LaMelo Ball didn't want to leave Charlotte," Charania added, "he wanted to be in Charlotte."

The Hornets' return includes Naz Reid, an unprotected first-round pick in 2033, three first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, and three second-round picks in 2029, 2032 and 2033.

It's a stunning turn of events for a Hornets team that showed tremendous promise to close the 2025-26 season. Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Coby White were all in their age-25 or younger seasons on a team that won 44 games.

No one would have faulted the Hornets if they wanted to give that group another season together to see what their ceiling could be, but they opted to take a swing by trading the player who has been the face of their franchise for most of his career.

Ball has been injured for long stretches of his career that hindered his performance. His 72 games played in 2025-26 was just the second time in six seasons he appeared in more than 51 games.

The Timberwolves seemed to enter this offseason wanting to shake up their roster after going a combined 4-12 in their last three playoff series losses dating back to the 2024 Western Conference Finals.

Minnesota's changes started on Monday when it agreed to send Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade that included the Chicago Bulls.

Now, the T-Wolves have brought in Ball by swapping out Naz Reid. It's a huge bet on him staying healthy, but the upside is enormous for a team that didn't really have a true point guard in the starting five for most of last season.

If it pays off like the Timberwolves are hoping, Ball and Edwards will be the duo that leads them to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history sooner than later.