The Minnesota Timberwolves made a blockbuster trade this offseason, acquiring LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets.
Charlotte traded Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks.
The Timberwolves were aggressive in trade talks this summer, as before trading for Ball, they pursued Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Josh Giddey, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The Boston Celtics traded Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks sent Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat and Giddey remained with the Chicago Bulls.
“The Wolves had talks with the Celtics about Jaylen Brown, the Milwaukee Bucks about Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Chicago Bulls about Josh Giddey, according to team sources who were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive negotiations,” Krawczynski wrote. “Brown was intriguing, but the Celtics were asking for a king’s ransom that included Gobert and heavy draft capital. There were also debates about how Edwards and Brown would fit together as two ISO-heavy scorers on offense. Connelly had given chase to Antetokounmpo before last season and at the trade deadline, but the Wolves never got close on a deal there either, sources said. Giddey was another big guard to potentially pair with Edwards, but there was little traction on talks there. When it became clear Ball was available, every other option was set aside.”
Minnesota now has a core of Ball, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Ayo Dosunmu and Jaden McDaniels.
Ball enters next season with career averages of 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game. He won the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award and made the All-Star team in 2021.
“He just fulfills so many needs,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said about Ball. “We needed a point guard of the future. We needed a connector, not just a point guard. But we don’t get just a point guard. We get an All-Star-level point guard. We get a guy who naturally is a pass-first guy who wants to get the ball moving, who can accentuate our best player’s talents.”
The Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference Finals twice (2024, 2025) in the Edwards era. Minnesota lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 2024 and fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025.
It will be fascinating to see how far the Timberwolves go next season with Ball and Edwards leading the way. Minnesota has never been to the NBA Finals.
“I feel like it can do a lot,” Ball said. “Just coming in here ready to play, here to learn, just give it my all.”
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