The 2026 NBA Draft officially came to an end with Wednesday night’s second round, but that didn’t stop wild trade activity in the morning after.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania delivered breaking news on Thursday morning that the Charlotte Hornets are trading star point guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The full trade also features Josh Green going to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, and 2030), and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, and 2033).
BREAKING: The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033), sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lkhXBWHCrA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026
It’s a stunning, highly aggressive move by the Timberwolves in their efforts to try to surround four-time All-Star Anthony Edwards with a championship-contending roster.
Ball, who turns 25 in August, averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game for Charlotte in the 2025-26 NBA season. He shot 40.7% from the field, 36.8% as a high-volume three-point shooter, and 89.9% on free throws. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged a career-best 25.2 points per game. The 6-foot-7 point guard was selected by Michael Jordan and the Hornets with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
It will be fascinating to watch Ball play alongside Edwards, and while it certainly boosts Minnesota’s firepower, some NBA evaluators are skeptical about the fit and whether or not it makes the Timberwolves a legitimate title contender.
And on the other side, some pundits are surprised by the Hornets trading away their franchise star.
Charlotte went 44-38 before an exit after two games in the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament, while Minnesota was knocked out by the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in six games in the conference semifinals.
Here’s a look at reactions from the NBA world to the wild Hornets-Timberwolves trade:
“You throw a double-team on [Anthony] Edwards with LaMelo Ball on the court? You are playing with fire.” —@WindhorstESPN
“This is [the Hornets] saying, ‘We do not believe in LaMelo Ball.’ … This is not a superstar return package.” —@BannedMacMahon
The crew reacts to the… pic.twitter.com/75JMRoiecw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 25, 2026
Pretty wild deal.
-Wolves raise their ceiling with LaMelo. Incredibly risky though given LaMelo’s durability issues. Gonna be fun at the least watching Melo/Ant. I don’t think the Wolves are quite done making moves either…stay tuned.
-Hornets have totally reshaped that… https://t.co/W9mGXb8dyN
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) June 25, 2026
A year ago, there’s no way the Hornets could have gotten NEARLY this much for LaMelo. They sold high. The Ant-Melo pairing is exciting and terrifying in both directions. https://t.co/fKeZ1F2eTC
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 25, 2026
“Congratulations to the Charlotte Hornets for making a tough decision when they needed to make it… I don’t understand what Minnesota is doing, even if you like the talent more than I do in LaMelo Ball.”@getnickwright reacts to LaMelo being traded to the T-Wolves for Naz Reid: pic.twitter.com/JBfM16bbja
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 25, 2026
Report: LaMelo traded to T-Wolves for Naz Reid. @Chris_Broussard weighs in:
“I don’t understand and I’m baffled… This makes no sense to me.” pic.twitter.com/Rv5rrpHyx3
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 25, 2026
First reaction: feels like a tremendous gamble for Minnesota.
Not sure Antman and LaMelo will be a great fit long-term. I can’t wait to watch it though.
Those swaps could be very juicy for Charlotte by the end of the decade. https://t.co/N3Mst0f2ph
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) June 25, 2026
Chandler Parsons is confused by the Minnesota Timberwolves trading for LaMelo Ball 🤨
“I don’t know if this makes them better. … They can’t go into the season with 1 big in Rudy Gobert.”@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/m3bvWONxte
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 25, 2026
Genuinely fascinated by every single piece of this LaMelo trade. Fascinated that Tim Connelly decided this was his move. Fascinated that the Hornets decided to sell high on LaMelo after a great second half of the season.
One of the most interesting trades I can remember.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) June 25, 2026
Shocking trade for the Hornets but they seized the opportunity following LaMelo Ball’s first healthy season in 4 years. Tons of flexibility now and I think this is an indicator that pick swaps may indeed have gone up in value following the new rules.
For the Wolves, it had to…
— Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane) June 25, 2026
LaMelo Ball is a spectacular player in terms of the wow factor. But let’s be honest:
Career 41.8% shooter from the field and a solid, not great, 36.8% on threes. Turns the ball over way too much. Injury issues. Bad driver. Immature. Makes 43 mill AAV for three more years.… https://t.co/XOfZzYDxq4
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) June 25, 2026
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.