Time to Trade LaMelo Ball? Hornets' Future Awaits

Merlin sees LaMelo Ball is reportedly open to a trade, per Kelly Iko — a report Ball has pushed back on — but the possibility matters. He’s still the Hornets’ centerpiece since 2020 and is averaging 21.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and a career-high 9.3 assists through 10 games. Yet he’s never completed a full season and there are “whispers about his on-court comportment.” Meanwhile Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and rookies Kon Knueppel (18.8 ppg) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (~10 pts, 6.9 reb) have formed a promising nucleus. Merlin senses Charlotte at a crossroads: keep an elite but risky star or convert him into draft capital to accelerate a youth-led rebuild. The stumbling block is Ball’s roughly $130M contract and finding a willing partner. If the Hornets can extract a significant haul, the future may favor development over spectacle.