Despite losing Naz Reid, who was one of the most loved players, arguably in franchise history, I have never once thought that the Minnesota Timberwolves lost this trade in any fashion. They've needed to pair Anthony Edwards with another guard who can command defensive attention, and they did just that and more.
Despite this and the reasonable price Minnesota gave up to get Ball, many people have (somehow) claimed the Hornets won the trade. ESPN, for instance, gave the Wolves a D+ for this deal, and numerous other pundits have slammed the deal from the Wolves' perspective.
LaMelo Ball isn't just an ordinary point guard. He's 6-foot-7 with the ability to make any and every pass on the court. He can shoot it from well beyond the 3-point line, and he thrives in transition. Not to mention, he's the same age as Edwards.
The Wolves had to do something after how sourly last season ended, and they managed to acquire someone who fills the team's greatest needs. If you have some reservations about Ball, that's fine, but some of the opinions I've seen on this trade are ridiculous.
Certain media members are unnecessarily hating on the trade
From all of the major sports news coverage sites (ESPN, and The Athletic) giving the Wolves an awful grade on this move, to guys like Bill Simmons going on air saying how much they hate the trade, it just doesn't make any sense.
🎙️ @BillSimmons on the LaMelo Ball trade: "I'm at A- or A for Charlotte... I couldn't believe the trade for Minnesota. I f-cking hated it."
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) June 29, 2026
"I get it on paper; LaMelo Ball would solve a lot of problems that you had with Anthony Edwards last year. There's one problem: He doesn't… pic.twitter.com/bTbMTDJOL6
Simmons said it: Ball will solve a lot of problems that the previous roster had, so hating it is a bit odd. The Wolves have been knocked out of the playoffs three years in a row because of the same flaw -- zero shot creation outside of Ant. They finally solved that with not only one of the best shooters in the NBA, but maybe a top-five playmaker.
Now, Simmon is a notorious Celtics fan, so maybe hating the Ball trade is compensating for his team not acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, but even still, the Wolves fan base, from what I've seen, is ecstatic, and that says a lot considering they traded maybe the biggest fan favorite on the team.
The Wolves didn't give up a ridiculous amount for him
While the Shams Charania notification was alarming at first, only one of the picks that Charlotte acquired was unprotected, and the rest were either pick swaps or second-rounders. Beyond that, just one of these swaps is an outright swap, with the others being the worst between three teams.
Considering how young their core is, that seems like a pretty realistic bet for Tim Connelly to make, even with Ball's injury history. Personally, I think his injuries are a bit overblown. Sure, he's had some ankle problems in the past, but he was also on a team whose season was often over before the All-Star break.
It's not out of the question for bad teams to hold their stars out for longer periods of time than needed in hopes of getting a better draft pick, and that's likely what the Hornets did.
The major point is that the Wolves filled a major need at a reasonable price and found a long-term co-star alongside Ant, which should be seen as a massive win.
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