Timberwolves Trade For LaMelo Ball In Blockbuster Deal, Pairing Star With Anthony Edwards

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Timberwolves have landed one of the NBA's most dynamic playmakers, acquiring Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball in a blockbuster trade Thursday morning, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.

But the Timberwolves have to send away beloved big man Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033) to Charlotte for Ball and wing Josh Green, according to Charania.

Reid won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award in 2024.

Ball, 24, gives Minnesota a second star to build around Anthony Edwards. He is coming off his fifth consecutive season averaging more than 20 points per game, posting 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game across 72 games in 2025-26.

The deal forms one of the NBA's most electric young backcourt duos. Edwards, 24, averaged more than 27 points per game last season for a Wolves team that has reached the Western Conference Finals in two of the last three seasons without punching through to the Finals.

Ball has three years remaining on a five-year, $203 million deal he signed with Charlotte in 2024, carrying a $40.7 million cap hit in 2026-27. He is eligible for a two-year, $119.2 million extension beginning July 6.

The trade is expected to be folded into Minnesota's earlier Julius Randle deal with the Brooklyn Nets for salary-matching purposes and finalized when the new league year opens in July.

For Charlotte, the return centers on Reid, a fan favorite and reliable scorer off the bench for the Wolves, plus a significant haul of future draft capital as the Hornets pivot toward a rebuild around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.