The Timberwolves finally made it official. LaMelo Ball is coming to Minnesota, part of that massive four-team trade that had been hanging in the air for weeks. And like any franchise worth its salt, the Wolves dropped a hype video right away. It’s slick. It’s loud. And it leans hard into the idea that this isn’t just about one guy.
The video features Kendrick Perkins, Brian Windhorst and Stephen A. Smith all singing Ball’s praises. Which is funny, because those guys don’t agree on much. But here they are, serving as hype men for a 24-year-old point guard who’s equal parts brilliance and chaos. The Wolves also made a point to show Anthony Edwards plenty. Because the whole pitch here is the duo. Not just LaMelo. Not just Ant. Both of them together, unlocking each other and the offense.
Ball’s numbers in Charlotte were solid: 20.8 points, 7.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals. He shot 41.8 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three over his Hornets career. But numbers don’t tell the whole story with him. He’s an All-Star (2022) and he’s a wild card. He forces shots. He plays erratic. He’s the kind of player who can win you a game one night and lose you one the next. Some people wonder if he can actually lead a franchise. Charlotte wasn’t sure. The Hornets had only two winning seasons in the last decade, and Ball was a big part of those. But they still decided he wasn’t their long-term answer.
Minnesota had a different read. The Wolves weren’t thrilled with their own core either. They traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid to make this happen. President of basketball operations Tim Connelly is betting big that Ball and Edwards can be more than just a flashy backcourt. He’s betting they can get this franchise to the NBA Finals for the first time ever. If he’s wrong, things get ugly fast. The roster is now built around two guards who need the ball, with a lot of question marks everywhere else.
The video doesn’t mention any of that risk, of course. It’s all highlights and hype and Kendrick Perkins yelling about how special Ball is. That’s fine. That’s what welcome videos are for. But the Timberwolves’ future is riding on this trade working out. Ball has the talent. Edwards has the talent. The question is whether they can make each other better, which is harder than it sounds.
Fans online are split. Some are thrilled. Some are nervous. A lot are just curious to see what this actually looks like when the games start. The Wolves dropped the video on July 10 and it immediately got picked up by ClutchPoints and others. The reaction was loud enough that the team got exactly what it wanted: people talking.
Now they just have to win.
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