By April 6, 2025
Photo: William Liang / AP
When news broke that LaMelo Ball would undergo season-ending surgery to address lingering soreness in his right wrist and an ankle impingement, Hornets fans were hit with a mix of emotions.
For those fully embracing the “Capture the Flagg” campaign — Charlotte’s not-so-subtle push for top lottery odds — this was another step toward securing a brighter future. Ball’s injury woes also help explain his recent struggles. However, this marks the second major surgery on both his right wrist (2021) and right ankle (2023) — a troubling trend for a 23-year-old whose game thrives on agility and creativity.
While the Hornets’ season is all but over, the bigger question looms: Can Charlotte confidently build around a star whose availability is becoming a growing concern?
Ball’s start to the season was electric, highlighted by back-to-back 50- and 44-point performances in late November. With a league-high 38.5% usage rate, it seemed first-year head coach Charles Lee had fully unleashed Ball, turning him into one of the NBA’s most captivating offensive weapons. Averaging 31.8 points per game, Ball trailed only one player in the scoring race and led the entire league in fourth-quarter scoring for the month. By all accounts, a second All-Star appearance felt like a lock.
As the season wore on and the Hornets’ injury report grew longer, Ball found himself fighting an uphill battle. Charlotte lost key players for extended stretches — Tre Mann (back), Grant Williams (ACL), Brandon Miller (wrist ligament), and Miles Bridges (knee sprain) — leaving Ball as the sole focal point for opposing defenses. With no reliable supporting cast to keep teams honest, defenders zeroed in on Ball, making his job exponentially harder. Yet despite the adversity, Ball still managed to finish the season ranked 10th in the NBA in Offensive EPM — the gold standard for measuring a player’s offensive impact.
Just as Ball was starting to struggle, disaster struck. While backpedaling on defense after hitting a three against the Lakers in late January, he stepped on Jared Vanderbilt’s foot spraining his left ankle — an unfortunate but fitting twist in an already frustrating season.
Off the court, Ball was dealing with more than just defensive schemes and injury woes. Although it wasn’t public knowledge at the time, his father was battling a severe foot infection and complications from Type 2 diabetes. His condition was so dire that his life was at risk, eventually leading to the amputation of his right leg. While LaMelo never spoke about it publicly, it’s impossible to ignore the emotional toll it may have taken on him.
From late January onward, Ball’s scoring plummeted from an impressive 28.9 points per game to just 19.4 post-injury, and with that decline came a shift in perception. The audacious, highlight-reel shot attempts that once sparked awe and admiration were now met with groans of frustration.
The struggles were further compounded by inconsistency in his availability. Right ankle soreness (unrelated to the sprain he suffered in January 2025) kept him in and out of the lineup, causing him to miss nine of the next 25 games before the Hornets ultimately decided to shut him down for surgery. What began as a career-best season had quickly unraveled, leaving more questions than answers about Ball’s long-term durability and performance levels.
Could LaMelo Ball be traded?
The conventional answer when discussing the possibility of trading a team’s lone All-Star caliber player is a resounding no. Players of Ball’s talent, production, and off-court marketability don’t come around often, and moving on from a franchise cornerstone is always a gamble. But for the first time in the Ball era, the prospect of a trade feels more realistic than ever. If Charlotte’s new ownership and front office truly believed Ball was the cornerstone of a playoff-caliber team, wouldn’t they have done more to build a competitive roster this season? Their decision to delay the team’s timeline raises doubts about their long-term vision — and Ball’s role within it.
For the first time in Ball’s tenure with the Hornets, the idea of trading him doesn’t seem so far-fetched, and maybe even something the franchise should seriously consider. While Ball’s inconsistency, durability issues, and lack of leadership qualities might leave you wanting more, that’s not even the driving force behind this stance. It’s about where the Hornets are — or more accurately, where they aren’t. While LaMelo Ball isn’t the reason why Charlotte hasn’t made it to the playoffs since his arrival in the Queen City, the bigger question remains: Is he the solution?
President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson has already demonstrated his willingness to make tough decisions, as evidenced by his handling of the voided Mark Williams trade at the deadline. When a team spends three consecutive years near the bottom of the NBA standings, it can take a toll on the franchise.
Charlotte has added a rookie project in Tidjane Salaun, while Grant Williams is expected to miss part of next season. The future of restricted free agent Tre Mann remains uncertain, and even if he returns, questions loom over how his herniated disc will affect his performance. Meanwhile, Brandon Miller is one of the few NBA players on record to have torn the scapholunate ligament in his shooting wrist, a rare injury with plenty of unknowns about its long-term impact. To top it off, Mark Williams’ future availability is in question, with at least one doctor in L.A. raising concerns. With all these uncertainties, unless Charlotte gets lucky and lands Cooper Flagg in the draft, playoff contention feels like a distant dream.
It’s looking like 2026 might be too soon, and even 2027 could be a stretch. That means we may be looking at 2028 — when Ball will have just one year left on his contract. At that point, his trade value would likely dip, as any team acquiring him would risk losing him to free agency. While his injury history will certainly factor into his market value, the four remaining years on his current deal provide long-term team control that could help offset those concerns. It’s also worth noting that Ball’s “max” contract — averaging $40 million per year — is more than 30% cheaper than the veteran max of $57 million annually, making him a relatively affordable option for teams in search of a starting point guard.
Due to Ball’s inconsistent availability and erratic, still-unproven playing style, he likely won’t command a blockbuster trade haul. However, with his contract running through 2029, the Hornets still hold leverage in trade negotiations. A realistic asking price — up to three first-round picks or pick swaps — would depend on the caliber of players coming back to Charlotte to match salary. That would place his trade value in the same general ballpark as recent deals for De’Aaron Fox (to the Spurs) and Damian Lillard (to the Bucks), which feels appropriate for a top-10 point guard.
The biggest challenge for Jeff Peterson may be balancing the pursuit of the best trade offers without alienating his young star. If the Hornets aren’t fully committed to moving Ball, enduring months of media speculation — only for him to return to training camp as if nothing happened — could create an undeniably awkward dynamic.
On the other hand, keeping trade talks too private carries its own risks. Just ask Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, who was heavily criticized for quietly exploring a Luka Dončić trade and ultimately failing to maximize his return. Ball has remained loyal to Charlotte despite the team’s ongoing struggles and lack of urgency in building a contender. If the Hornets do explore a trade, they’ll need to strike a balance — transparent enough to control the narrative, but strategic enough to secure the best possible deal.
Ultimately, Ball’s future in Charlotte feels increasingly uncertain, even with four years remaining on his contract. For Peterson, the right path forward isn’t entirely clear — though the Draft Lottery could offer some much-needed clarity. Whatever decision he makes will likely define the early stages of his tenure with the Hornets. And remember, it only takes one team to aggressively pursue Ball for a trade to become a real possibility — and by my count, at least 10 teams should be in the market for a point guard upgrade this offseason.
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