LaMelo Ball is heading to Minnesota.
On Thursday, the Hornets sent Ball, who they selected No. 3 overall in the 2020 draft, and Josh Green to the Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030), and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033). News of the trade was first reported by ESPN.
The deal comes a day after the 2026 NBA draft ended and on the first day of a new era, in which Adam Silver’s ‘3-2-1 lottery’ system goes into effect for the 2027 draft. Next year’s draft will expand the lottery from 14 teams to 16 and will give teams that finish fourth through 10th a higher chance at landing the No. 1 pick than the bottom-three teams. It will also reverse the order of the second round, with the team that picks first also selecting 16th in the second round (46th overall).
The trade echoes what ESPN front-office analyst Bobby Marks told Front Office Sports about transactions in the new-look NBA, with star players continuing to command first-round picks. Marks was unsure about second-round picks being part of big trades, and Ball’s has three of those, too.
“I think superstars, teams are always going to trade first-round picks,” Marks told FOS before the draft. “I think there’s a little bit of uncertainty when it comes to trading second-round picks just based on its inverse order, so there’s the unknown on where it lands. I think there is a little bit of hesitation here as far as just because we haven’t gone through it yet, as far as where potential picks can be.”
