The Timberwolves just pulled off the kind of trade that makes other front offices angry. Tim Connelly sent Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-rounders to Charlotte for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green. And somehow, it feels like Minnesota didn’t give up enough.
This didn’t come out of nowhere. Rumors that the Hornets were open to moving Ball only started surfacing late on June 24. Within hours, the deal was done. Connelly has never been shy about making big swings, but this one landed with a thud in Charlotte’s favor. For the Timberwolves, the fit is almost too clean.
Ball fills the one hole Minnesota couldn’t hide
The Timberwolves spent all last season trying to force shooting guards into point guard duties. Donte DiVincenzo tried. Anthony Edwards tried. Mike Conley is now more of a mentor than a starter. Bones Hyland can score but he’s not a table-setter, and he’s headed for free agency anyway. What they needed was someone who could run an offense without needing to be the first option every night.
Ball is that guy. At 6-foot-7, he sees passing lanes before they open. He can throw lobs to Rudy Gobert, which alone changes Minnesota’s offensive ceiling. Gobert has been left to create his own looks for years, and that’s not his game. Edwards will finally have a backcourt partner who can get him the ball in rhythm instead of forcing him to create everything out of isolation.
Ball’s scoring is erratic but real. He takes tough shots and makes enough of them. He’s athletic enough to get to the rim. The concerns have always been injuries and defense, but he played 72 games last season, which is encouraging. And on defense, he’ll have a four-time Defensive Player of the Year behind him. That helps.
What makes this trade a steal for Minnesota is the cost. Naz Reid is a fan favorite and a skilled big, but he’s also a little overrated by the people who watch him every night. That 2033 first-rounder is so far out it barely registers. The pick swaps might never even come into play if Minnesota is the better team. This is the kind of trade that looks lopsided on paper and probably feels worse in real time.
Grade: A+
Charlotte just gave away its best player for spare parts
The Hornets changed their roster-building philosophy at the 2025 draft, picking win-now guys like Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. It worked. They made the play-in tournament. But that doesn’t mean you trade your franchise player for a package that might not yield a single starter.
Naz Reid is a nice player. He can handle the ball, shoot from deep, and play with energy. But he’s mostly been a backup, and he gets bullied by bigger centers. Charlotte needed a center, but Reid is more of a power forward who can moonlight at the five. That’s not the same thing.
The draft capital is all backloaded. The 2033 pick is a decade away. The swaps might never matter if Charlotte remains middling. The Hornets also had to throw in Josh Green, who doesn’t put up big numbers but knows how to play winning basketball. His contract wasn’t great, but it only had one year left.
There was a case for trading Ball. He gets hurt a lot. He takes bad shots. But you don’t rush into a deal like this unless you’re getting a haul. This wasn’t a haul. This was a panic move disguised as a pivot.
Grade: D+
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