5 LaMelo Ball trades that would force the Hornets to pick up the phone

3. Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors tore down their roster this year, trading Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby to two teams that ended up squaring off in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Now, they’re left with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and a rag-tag group of players to build around moving forward. Landing LaMelo Ball would solidify their young core, and Cody Martin would be a nice rotation piece, if he can stay healthy.

For the Charlotte Hornets, a sign-and-trade for Immanuel Quickley would  hard cap them for the entire season, so they should get all their other moves in order first.

That said, Quickley is a great young player, and his talent on the offensive end is matched with an impressive defensive playstyle on the other side of the ball.

Bruce Brown would be a nice depth piece for the time being, but Charlotte would be wise to flip him at the 2025 trade deadline, as contending teams could want him.

Ochai Agbaji’s 3-and-D play would boost the Hornets’ rotation, and adding another first in this year’s draft would be a nice touch.

Again, both teams would probably end up saying no to a deal like this, but it makes plenty of sense for both sides to be interested in the concept.

Potential starting lineups

Raptors: LaMelo Ball, Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Hornets: Immanuel Quickley, Bruce Brown, Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, Mark Williams