The Charlotte Hornets traded guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN.com.
The Hornets also traded guard Josh Green to Minnesota, who sent center/forward Naz Reid, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033) back to Charlotte.
Ball, 24, averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.2 steals in 72 games last season for the Hornets, who reached the NBA Play-in Tournament this season but have missed the playoffs in each of the past 10 years. He has had an injury-plagued career, with significant ankle and lower leg injuries in his six NBA seasons.
The Hornets selected Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2021.
Ball has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $203.9 million contract signed with the Hornets and will make $40.8 million during the 2026-27 season. He is eligible to sign a two-year, $119.2 million extension once the NBA free agency moratorium ends on July 6.
With the Ball trade, the Hornets are moving forward with building around forward Brandon Miller and forward Kon Knueppel, who led the league in 3-pointers and finished second in the rookie of the year balloting last season.
Reid, 26, averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 77 games for Minnesota and will be entering the second season of a five-year, $125 million deal he signed in 2025.
The Hornets added Hannes Steinbach, who led the NCAA in rebounding in the 2026 NBA Draft, and guard Christian Anderson Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick.
Charlotte had a strong finish to the season, winning 28 of its last 38 games, but lost to the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament.
The Timberwolves now have two dynamic guards, with Ball paired with star Anthony Edwards, who was the No. 1 overall pick in Ball's draft class, making them instantly one of the more formidable backcourts in the Western Conference.
By shipping Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade earlier in the offseason and re-signing guard Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million contract, the Timberwolves continue their aggressive win-now mentality under owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. Currently, Minnesota is nearly $5 million over the luxury tax after taking on Ball's and Green's contracts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LaMelo Ball traded to Timberwolves for Naz Reid, draft picks
