LaMelo Ball has been putting up some numbers this season on the court, averaging 21.6 points, 9.6 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game in the nine games he has played. That said, he’s only shooting 38.5% from the floor β 29.8% from 3-point range. He helped make the Hornets competitive in games, but they still stumbled to a 4-11 start to the season.
That’s why there’s some logic to the idea that Ball would be open to a trade, perhaps around the February deadline, and Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reported that he was.
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Star guard LaMelo Ball is increasingly frustrated with the organization and is open to a trade away from the franchise, multiple league sources tell Yahoo Sports… League sources say the front office is increasingly hesitant to cement Ball as a long-term foundational piece, has become disillusioned with the 24-year-old and is ready to move him.
LaMelo responded to this on X, dismissing the idea.
If that answer isn’t clear, Ball didn’t request a trade. Additionally, the Hornets front office is not looking to move Ball at this time, reports Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Naturally, Charlotte wants to get Brandon Miller back from his shoulder issue and see what this team looks like at full health (they may be 4-11, but they’ve played more competitively than their record suggests).
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That said, there are teams in the playoffs that need point guard play β Orlando, maybe Houston and others β who are monitoring the situation. There would be a market for Ball, although due to his injury history and defensive issues, this trade wouldn’t fetch as much as the Hornets may imagine.
Teams aren’t just monitoring Ball’s situation. The same goes for Ja Morant in Memphis and Trae Young in Atlanta, both currently injured.
