After failing to reach the Western Conference Finals for a third consecutive season, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a trade for Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball to pair with Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves sent Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030, and second-round picks in 2029, 2032, and 2033 to the Hornets. Minnesota sent significant draft capital to seal this deal.
This comes on the heels of the Timberwolves’ Julius Randle three-team trade, which gave Minnesota enough cap space to extend guard Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million extension. After watching Karl-Anthony Towns win a championship with the New York Knicks, the Timberwolves traded their return in that blockbuster move less than two years removed from the deal.
However, in trying to compete against the likes of the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs and the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in 2026-27, the Timberwolves will look to lean on a high-powered offensive approach, led by Edwards, Ball, and Dosunmu.
However, the Edwards-Ball tandem has a boom-or-bust feel to it, heading into the upcoming season. For most fans, there’s no in-between, given the volume of 3-point attempts LaMelo is known for taking and how important Edwards is to the Timberwolves’ approach. This could either cement the Timberwolves into the upper echelon of the Western Conference standings or be another failed attempt to return to the Western Conference Finals.
Either way, the Timberwolves front office has to believe it’s worth the risk, and that Edwards agreed to the move. How Ant-Man guides this team from a leadership standpoint will be interesting, as the veteran forward joins forces with a guard with little playoff experience but who is coming off an impressive season. Ball averaged 20.1 points on 40.7% shooting, including 36.8% from deep, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season.
Ball and the Hornets reached the Play-In tournament last season amid a surprising turnaround in the second half of the regular season. Edwards and the Timberwolves are looking forward to taking Ball to the next level amidst a competitive Western Conference.
Timberwolves’ projected starting lineup after LaMelo Ball trade
The Timberwolves’ well-balanced new starting lineup looks good for a team that will most likely have to take down the Spurs or the Thunder to reach the NBA Finals. After two Western Conference Finals appearances in three years, the Timberwolves’ new scoring duo of Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball is complemented by one of the best NBA wing defenders in Jaden McDaniels and one of the best rim protectors in Rudy Gobert, forming a very talented starting lineup, as HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan noted.
“The once supersized Timberwolves are now lacking size in the frontcourt. They’ll be limited in ways to add to their frontcourt with few tradeable salaries and just 1 second-round pick to offer,” Gozlan said. “We could be looking at LaMelo-Ayo-Ant-Jaden-Gobert as the starting lineup.”
The Timberwolves also have the non-taxpayer full mid-level exception to use to sign a free agent this summer.
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