The Minnesota Timberwolves turned heads by trading for LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets. It’s a move that gives the team a wildly talented backcourt, as Ball will be paired up with Anthony Edwards. However, a former three-time NBA champion pinpoints the one reason why he is concerned for Minnesota after making this deal.
During a segment on SportsCenter, Danny Green proclaimed that, while adding Ball to the roster is exciting, the Timberwolves have lost an important aspect of their game. Shooting from the frontcourt positions. Not only did the club give away Naz Reid in the deal to acquire the 24-year-old guard, but the front office also traded Julius Randle away to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls.
“It’ll be fun, it’ll be exciting,” said Green, “but you lost a lot of your stretch shooting with Julius [Randle] and Naz Reid going out. Your stretch bigs are gone.”
"It'll be fun, it'll be exciting, but you lost a lot of your stretch shooting with Julius [Randle] and Naz Reid going out."@DGreen_14 provides his thoughts on LaMelo Ball going to Minnesota and the latest on Jaylen Brown
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— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 25, 2026
Ultimately, Green is concerned with the perimeter play for the Timberwolves next season. While Randle and Reid handled those duties in the 2025-26 campaign, the club will also be without Donte DiVincenzo due to his ruptured right Achilles tendon, which he suffered in the playoffs.
Luckily for the Timberwolves, the free agency window is how the front office can address the shooting concerns. However, nothing is guaranteed as they are competing with 29 other organizations for talent in the free agency pool.
Either way, a fresh start with a new team might be what LaMelo Ball needs to rejuvenate his career. While he was still a solid contributor last season for the Hornets, his numbers dipped just a tad. In 72 games played last season, the six-year veteran averaged 20.1 points (lowest average since his sophomore campaign), 4.8 rebounds (career-low), 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. He also shot 40.7% from the field and 36.8% from deep.
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