Hornets president talks about trading LaMelo Ball: Goal is to build a championship contender team

July 12th - According to ESPN , Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson recently discussed the team's decision to trade LaMelo Ball . He stated that while the trade was difficult, the team's goal is to build long-term competitiveness and ultimately contend for the championship.

The Hornets previously completed a four-team trade, sending Lonzo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reed , an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three second-round picks, and three first-round pick swaps .

Last season, Ball helped the Hornets achieve 44 wins, a significant improvement from the previous season's 19 wins. The team had a record of only 11 wins and 23 losses on January 2nd , but then won 32 of their next 45 games , defeating teams such as the Knicks, Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, and Celtics .

However, Peterson stated that the team cannot only look at short-term performance but needs to evaluate the roster's direction from a long-term development perspective. " LaMelo had an outstanding season last year and was a huge help to the team. I believe he will succeed with the Timberwolves, but for the Hornets, now is the right time to make this trade. "

Last season, Ball played 72 games, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds, with a 36.8% three-point shooting percentage . However, due to injuries, he only played a total of 105 games between the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons.

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