LaMelo Ball listed as ambitious trade target for two NBA teams on the rise
NBA media must have missed the memo that the Charlotte Hornets haven’t made LaMelo Ball available in trades. The statement from Ball himself that he wants to stay and does not request a trade must’ve gone unnoticed, too. For whatever reason, the rumors of a trade persist.
Ball was named an ambitious trade target for two teams: the Orlando Magic and the Portland Trail Blazers. Orlando makes perfect sense. They’re an Eastern Conference contender with no offense, and they have the capital to make a move easily. Portland does, too, but they’re closer to the tier the Hornets operate in.
As for the Magic, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes argues that Ball is the missing piece. “His presence on the floor last year juiced Charlotte’s effective field-goal percentage by 4.9
percent (a 98th percentile on-off split), and added a whopping 11.4 points per 100 possessions to the team’s offensive rating (99th percentile).”
“And that’s with severely limited supporting talent. Imagine what he could do for a squad that already has Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, not to mention defensive backcourt dynamo Jalen Suggs to handle the opposing matchups Ball can’t,” he said.
How could Orlando pull off a deal for Ball? For starters, they might have to overpay a little bit to convince a staunch Hornets front office, but they could package Jonathan Isaac and Cole Anthony with the 16th pick in this draft. That would probably get them pretty close to landing Ball, though a staunch Hornets front office, but they could package Jonathan Isaac and Cole Anthony with the 16th pick in this draft. That would probably get them pretty close to landing Ball, though a distant first-round pick added for taking on Isaac’s salary and his inability to stay healthy might seal it.
For the Blazers, this makes less sense, but it is still a tantalizing option for them. “Wouldn’t it be exciting to see Ball leading a dynamic transition attack alongside Shaedon Sharpe while getting tons of defensive support from Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija and backline stalwart Donovan Clingan?” Hughes asked.
Portland’s defense was fifth in the NBA after the All-Star break, but its offense was just 22nd. They’d be a much better team with Ball, though their defense would get a little worse as a tradeoff. They’d probably have a top 10 offense and a borderline top 10 defense, which probably makes them a playoff contender.
