The Minnesota Timberwolves just made the biggest gamble of their offseason by trading for LaMelo Ball. And now LaVar Ball is here with the follow-up pitch. You knew it was coming.
LaVar, who has been quieter in recent years but never truly gone, popped back onto the scene with a guarantee. He says if the Timberwolves want a championship, they need to reunite all three Ball brothers. Not just LaMelo. All of them.
“Let me give you the recipe. You got to get the two other Ball boys. It will be the most-watched team ever in the NBA. Trust me when I tell you. Melo can’t win it by himself, but I’ll tell you, with his brothers, I’ll guarantee y’all a championship. Together you can’t beat em,” LaVar told reporters.
He added that Lonzo and LiAngelo could be had for cheap. “You can get Lonzo damn near for nothin’. You can get Gelo damn near for nothin’. … Whenever them Ball boys together, can’t lose!”
The Trade That Started This
The Timberwolves sent Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three pick swaps and three second-rounders to Charlotte for LaMelo. It was a massive swing. The team is trying to move away from its bruising, big-man identity and build around Anthony Edwards and LaMelo as a high-octane backcourt.
Three straight years of playoff heartbreak will make you try something bold. That something was LaMelo. But LaVar wants more.
Reality Check on Lonzo and Gelo
There’s a reason those two are available for nothing. Lonzo Ball hasn’t played meaningful NBA minutes in years. After the Utah Jazz waived him following a salary dump from the Cleveland Cavaliers, no team picked him up. His career might be done. LiAngelo hasn’t been on an NBA radar since 2023 when he was in the G-League. He’s not even close.
So the idea of all three Ball brothers suiting up together for a contender? It’s not happening. The Timberwolves didn’t gut their future to chase a feel-good family reunion. They did it to win now with Edwards and LaMelo.
LaVar, to his credit, has never stopped believing. He first burst onto the scene in 2016 hyping Lonzo as the next great point guard. He’s been selling the Ball brand ever since. This is just the latest installment.
But the Timberwolves front office isn’t likely to bite. They have a roster to build and a championship window to open. Nostalgia doesn’t get you stops in the fourth quarter. And neither do brothers who can’t get on the floor.
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