The Charlotte Hornets are 4-9 and showing no evidence of being a playoff team now or in the immediate future, despite having a young core of players that, on paper, looks like a potential nucleus of a future contender.
The team’s continued shortcomings have led to speculation surrounding star and former third overall pick, LaMelo Ball, and his trade market.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported, “If you’re asking me if Trae, Ja and LaMelo all came onto the trade market tomorrow, I think LaMelo would have the best market. But that’s all hypothetical right now.”
Hypothetical or not, the Hornets should consider a trade for its top 2020 draft pick.
Ball is averaging 22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 9.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 32.4 minutes. As much as he has flashed greatness on the court from time to time, there are other reasons for Charlotte to consider getting what they can for him while he is still producing offensively, and one of them is his health.
Since entering the league in 2020, Ball has not played more than 75 games in a season and that came in his second year. Since then, he has played 36, 22, and 47, respectively.
He has already missed five games due to an ankle injury.
While that may deter some teams, his upside is such that a contending team looking to cash in a ticket to the playoffs and compete for a shot at the NBA title this season would love to add him to their lineups.
And Charlotte should make him available.
Whether a team would want to take on Ball’s $40 million-plus average contract over the next four years is a big question to consider, but adding him to a roster that is a guard away from really competing in the Eastern or Western Conference could be the difference between spending this season as a pretender or contender.
In return, Charlotte could stockpile draft capital and look to the future, building its team around Kon Kneuppel, who has outperformed expectations with 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 32.6 minutes per game.
“Rebuild” may not be a word that Charlotte or its fans want to hear but at 4-9, with no realistic path to the playoff, now is the time to take advantage of Ball’s value, find a trade partner, and make the deal while he is still considered to be a player with upward potential.
Otherwise, the Hornets risk a future defined by frustration and what might have been.
