Timberwolves Acquire LaMelo Ball From Hornets for Naz Reid, Picks

The Timberwolves acquired LaMelo Ball and Josh Green from the Hornets for Naz Reid, a 2033 first-round pick, and a package of swaps and seconds, pairing Ball with Anthony Edwards.

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uristocrat

June 25, 2026 2 min read

Timberwolves Acquire LaMelo Ball From Hornets for Naz Reid, Picks — LaMelo Ball. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Key Points

Minnesota acquired LaMelo Ball and Josh Green from Charlotte on June 25.
Charlotte gets Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first, three pick swaps, three second-rounders.
Ball averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists in 72 games last season.
He pairs with Anthony Edwards, reuniting two top-3 picks from the 2020 draft.

The Minnesota Timberwolves made the first real swing of the NBA offseason. On June 25 they acquired LaMelo Ball and guard Josh Green from the Charlotte Hornets for forward Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), and three second-round picks, an AP source said.

Ball, 24, is coming off his healthiest season in years: 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds across 72 games, after injuries had held him to a fraction of that over the prior three years. He has three seasons left on a five-year, $203.8 million extension that pays him $40.8 million this season. In Minnesota he slots next to Anthony Edwards, reuniting two top-three picks from the 2020 draft and giving the Wolves one of the league's most explosive perimeter pairings.

The read cuts both ways. For Charlotte, this is a tear-down dressed as a basketball trade: Ball didn't request out, and he was finally healthy, but the Hornets cashed a 24-year-old All-Star ball-handler for a forward, a pile of late-decade picks, and roughly $21 million in cap relief. That's a franchise betting the post-2030 draft is worth more than the player they already had.

For Minnesota, the question is fit, not talent. Ball is a high-usage, high-turnover creator who has never reached the NBA playoffs in six seasons; the Wolves were eliminated in the conference semifinals and are wagering that pairing him with Edwards raises their ceiling more than the defense and spacing of Naz Reid protected their floor. It is the boldest move of an offseason that opened with the Wizards taking AJ Dybantsa No. 1, and it comes weeks after San Antonio ended Minnesota's season in the conference semifinals.

Source: Yahoo Sports.