Charles Lee didn’t sugarcoat it. The Charlotte Hornets head coach knew the front office had a long-term plan when they traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer. But knowing it’s the right business move doesn’t make the phone call any easier.
“It was hard. We built such a great relationship,” Lee told Hornets reporter Dylan Jackson of SportCLT. “Those phone calls are never easy ones.”
And he’s not wrong. Lee had just wrapped up his first season in Charlotte, one where Ball helped drag the Hornets to a play-in win over the Miami Heat in overtime. That 127-126 thriller felt like a breakthrough. Then the Orlando Magic stomped them 121-90 to end it. Now Ball is gone, and Lee is looking at a roster without his franchise point guard.
Lee, though, offered a nod to the front office vision after the blockbuster move. He’s energized to coach Naz Reid and Coby White, according to the same report. But he didn’t pretend losing Ball was easy either.
What the Timberwolves Are Getting
Ball lands in Minnesota alongside Anthony Edwards, a perennial All-Star who’s been begging for scoring help. The Timberwolves watched the San Antonio Spurs — the eventual Western Conference champs — knock them out in the second round last season. Ball gives them a dynamic playmaker who can light up a scoreboard and take pressure off Edwards in the halfcourt.
The Wolves rolled out a hype video to welcome their new star. The Twin Cities seem ready for Ball’s flashy game and highlight passes. For Minnesota, this is about finally getting over the hump and winning their first NBA Finals title. They haven’t been there since 2004, and they’ve never won it all.
What’s Left in Charlotte
The Hornets now have to figure out life without Ball. They haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2016. Lee has to turn a roster that just lost its best player into something that can compete in the East. Charlotte made the play-in last season but couldn’t get past the Magic. That’s the bar now.
Lee’s got work to do. He’s got young pieces to develop, a front office that just made a franchise-altering call, and a fanbase wondering what comes next. The relationship with Ball was real. That part was hard. But the season doesn’t wait for anyone to get over it.
Leave a Comment