LaMelo Ball has been the face of the Charlotte Hornets organization since the day he was drafted back in November 2020. His unique talent is what has made the Hornets' ownership so confident in him as their franchise player for the last five years, and it is why they inked him to a five-year extension in 2023.
There have been no imminent signs that Charlotte has any intention of moving on from Ball anytime soon. Rumors have of course flown around for quite some time, but nothing concrete has come from within the organization to indicate a change is imminent.
With that said, we can see very clearly the approach Jeff Peterson wants to take as this team's President of Basketball Operations. Before the deal was ultimately nixed by the Lakers, he was ready to send Mark Williams, a supposed core member of the roster, to Los Angeles last month. Clearly, Peterson is not going to be shy in his efforts to improve the roster and put the best product on the court possible.
Hornets have shown no interest in trading Ball, but that could change
A recent article from ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst reveals comments made by an anonymous NBA executive concerning the Hornets. According to this source, Charlotte has shown no interest in trading LaMelo, but that could change in the coming months as they evaluate what direction they want to take moving forward.
It may seem a bit far-fetched for the Hornets to end the LaMelo Ball era after this season, but we have seen crazier things in the NBA already in 2025. If Charlotte were to hypothetically put together a trade package to move Ball, they would likely be looking to build around Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges as their main pieces moving forward.
What this decision will likely come down to is whether or not the Hornets' new ownership ultimately believes in Ball as the player that can get them over the hump in the coming years as they look to end their soon to be nine-year playoff drought. We have to remember that the extension LaMelo signed came under the old ownership group, and new management may or may not necessarily have the exact same view of him.
Time will tell all. One would think that Charlotte's best move would be to retain Ball, but the discussions that go on between decision-makers behind closed doors can sometimes differ from the public's perception.