T-Wolves trade for LaMelo Ball in shuffling Western Conference
LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards on the same team? The Western Conference is plenty interesting ahead of NBA free agency.
LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles the ball while Anthony Edwards #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends in the second quarter of the game at Target Center on February 15, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to acquire Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball in a deal that reshuffles their deck after the team failed to break through the last several years. It pairs him with star wing Anthony Edwards, and the T-Wolves now feature the most electric perimeter duo in the league.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the T-Wolves sent forward Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks to the Hornets. Minnesota also got guard Josh Green from Charlotte in the trade.
The deal follows an NBA Draft rife with trades — albeit ones that did not include deals involving current players.
Following the Giannis Antetokounmpo move from Milwaukee to Miami, it sets the table for free agency to begin Tuesday (June 30) at 3 p.m. MST.
How does the LaMelo Ball trade impact the Phoenix Suns and the Western Conference?
The Western Conference context around the Phoenix Suns, who finished 2025-26 with 45 wins, is wonky.
The team with the biggest upgrades in the past calendar year, the Utah Jazz, finished last season at the very bottom of the conference.
Teams with sagging payrolls (New Orleans and Sacramento) did, too. If they hit the eject button, the next few days could get more crazy.
Here’s a team-by-team look at where each Western Conference squad stands ahead of free agency.
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder: They added 7-foot-3 Michigan center Aday Mara in the draft, giving the regular season wins leaders a potential center group that also includes small-ball unit leader Chet Holmgren and starter Isaiah Hartenstein, who has a team option for $28 million.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs: San Antonio picked former ASU and Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance with the No. 20 pick, giving it a potentially elite center duo of him and Victor Wembanyama — provided Quaintance can recover from knee injuries over the past two seasons.
No. 3 Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets traded out of the late first round, and there are questions about if and how they will continue spending after runs that have fallen short since their 2023 title. The team is expected to keep free agent Peyton Watson on a hefty contract, and that’s put trade questions over forwards Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson, guard Christian Braun and others.
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James and Rui Hachimura are top free agents for Los Angeles, which traded up to draft Baylor scoring guard Cameron Carr at No. 24 overall on Tuesday.
No. 5 Houston Rockets: Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton gives them guard depth after he was taken in the early second round. On the to-do list: Whether to pick up a team option for point guard Fred VanVleet ($25 million) as he comes off a serious injury and managing forward Tari Eason’s free agency.
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves: The most active team so far since the NBA Finals, Minnesota dumped Julius Randle’s contract (and very solid play) to set up the Ball addition. It also signed guard Ayo Dosunmu to a long-term deal and drafted guard Isaiah Evans with the No. 33 pick. There’s still much work to do regarding the forward rotation with the team pretty set in the backcourt and at center with Rudy Gobert and second-year man Joan Beringer.
No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers: They didn’t have a draft pick and this offseason have been most known for new owner Tom Dundon being cheap, most recently giving new head coach Micah Nori a one-year contract with options. That has not sat well with the coaches’ union.
No. 8 Phoenix Suns: Phoenix re-signed Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, then moved up from the No. 47 pick to draft forward Koa Peat out of Arizona, giving the Suns another young big man to develop.
No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers: It is on the table whether the Clippers could blow it up more. They have massive contracts of Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland, plus free-agent decisions to make on forward John Collins and Bennedict Mathurin. There are also vets on team options (Bogdan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez) to pick up or not as they could reset around No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler.
No. 10 Golden State Warriors: The Dubs drafted Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick, giving them some youthful juice and an immediate impact player to keep it rolling with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr.
T-No. 11 New Orleans Pelicans: The team has plenty of big contracts but a new front office as of last summer. Are Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray part of the future (they are paid like it), or do the Pelicans hand the keys fully to Trey Murphy, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears?
T-No. 11 Dallas Mavericks: Hiring a new front office led by Masai Ujiri and new head coach Dusty May, the Mavs have a foundation to build around. Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg are a nice starting point, and so is No. 9 pick Morez Johnson Jr.
No. 13 Memphis Grizzlies: The cupboard could be barer if Ja Morant is traded. The Grizzlies added first-round picks Cam Boozer and Karim Lopez in the draft, and they could get plenty of run immediately along with last year’s rookie success, Cedric Coward. They also traded for Pistons enforcer Isaiah Stewart.
No. 14 Sacramento Kings: There are possibilities of chaos here. Sacramento has Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan as their top three contracts. Are they just going to run it back with the veterans? Sacramento also double-dipped in the first round, with guard Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7 and Alex Karaban at No. 29.
No. 15 Utah Jazz: They lost a ton, but the starting lineup should look like this: Rising star Keyonte George, No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson, All-Star forwards Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. and maybe … developing wing Brice Sensabough. Will any of past first-round picks Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier or Cody Williams find a way to break through with the starting backcourt now pretty set? Center is also a question with Walker Kessler and Jusuf Nurkic entering free agency.
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Comments
2 Comments
Wolves are done. Charoltte pulled a fast one on Tim Connelly. Hornets GM Jeff Peterson retooling the Mitch Kupchak built roster into his own. HC Charles Lee a former player and an assistant on both the Bucks and Celtic's recent championship teams.
They cleared salary cap space by dumping LaMelo Ball's three years and approximately $131 million but retained the use of Ball's salary in a $40 million exception. They then pivoted to their new starting PG Coby White and re-signed him to three-years and $75 million.
They retained their 6'-7" scoring wings Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. Naz Reid at 6'-9" and 265# will now be given the starting center job. Diabate and Kalkbrenner complete the center rotation. They drafted 6'-11" German PF Hannes Steinberg at 14th.
Miles Bridges is an $22.8 million expiring contract and could be the next to go. Hornets also drafted at 18th thanks to the Suns and selected Texas Tech PG Christian Anderson Jr. A 6'-4" playmaker and three-point shooter. Tre Mann a former 1st pick of the Thunder selected at 18th in '21 is also a 6'-4" PG.
Hornets still have several youngsters under contract such as Liam McNeely, Sion James & Tidjane Saluan.
Grant Williams an expiring $14 million contract.
That is how you re-tool a roster that was built around a ball-dominate star an undersized PF. Addition by subtract because Coby White fits the Charlotte "culture" so much better than LaMelo Ball.
Talk about a terrible front office. From western conference finals appearance to choosing Reid and Randle over Alexander-Walker to trading both Reid and Randle while Neikal (sp?) wins most improved this year. Then there’s the whole KAT winning a ring thing.
Now you get an injured Lamelo with a crappy personality to pair with your immature ego driven stsr in Edwards and zero front court depth