The Charlotte Hornets traded LaMelo Ball on Thursday and suddenly they have options. A lot of them.
Salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan broke down the numbers after the deal sent Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks. The headline figure: $75 million in room below the luxury tax line. That’s enough space to re-sign guard Coby White, use the full $40.8 million trade exception and still have the $15 million mid-level exception to play with.
White came over from Chicago at the February trade deadline and quietly put together a nice run in Charlotte. In 21 games he averaged 15.6 points, three rebounds and three assists while shooting 39.1% from deep. All that in just 19.3 minutes per game. The efficiency was real. He shot 46.1% from the field and 83.9% from the line too.
The Hornets have not confirmed any priority list. But it’s hard to imagine they let White walk after what he showed. He was one of their most reliable backcourt threats down the stretch and the fit next to a developing young core makes sense. Especially now that Ball is gone.
Charlotte’s front office basically traded the end of the Ball era for a pile of picks and a salary sheet that doesn’t choke them out. Reid gives them a proven big man to build around. The trade exception opens up all kinds of possibilities. They could absorb a contract from a team trying to duck the tax or they could package picks for another starter.
This is a franchise that spent years trying to make the Ball experiment work. Six seasons. Some highlights. A lot of nights where the defense just wasn’t there. Moving him was probably the right call, but it also resets the timeline a bit. The Hornets aren’t in a rush anymore. They have flexibility, they have assets and they have a clear view of where they’re headed.
White might be the first move. He won’t be the last one.
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