Despite giving up a high-end role player and some picks that hold little value, the Minnesota Timberwolves' trade for LaMelo Ball has been touted by many as a win-win, and some have even suggested this is a win for the Charlotte Hornets.
And while the Hornets front office was never going to say, "Yeah, we lost the trade," the Timberwolves can enjoy a good laugh at what Charlotte's general manager Jeff Peterson had to say about the trade.
"I've said it plenty of times since I've been here in Charlotte: The goal is to get to the playoffs and stay there for a long time. And eventually contend to compete for championships. Getting Naz Reid when you can get a player of his caliber. And of course, the draft capital and the flexibility just felt like it was something that was able to achieve multiple goals in one transaction," Peterson said.
Nice try, buddy. Finishing the season one game away from the playoffs and posting the second-best net rating since the turn of the calendar, Charlotte had its most successful season in a decade. Ball was the primary driver of this success.
Trading him at all was a bit puzzling, but trading him for this package is simply highway robbery for the Timberwolves. Thankfully, though, the Hornets were willing to trade a star-level guard, and the Timberwolves found a high-end co-star for Anthony Edwards at a discount price.
The Timberwolves clearly fleeced the Hornets in the LaMelo Ball trade
Listen, I love Naz Reid; he's a fantastic complementary player who should be the Hornets' starting power forward for the foreseeable future. And of course, he's beloved by Timberwolves fans. Can Reid scale up a bit now that he's a starter for the Hornets? Sure.
However, the reality is that he's a nice role player. Ball, on the other hand, is a legitimate offense engine and an All-Star-level player (bare minimum). Now, LaMelo's injury history is somewhat concerning, but he's also 24 and proved that he can contribute to winning basketball last season.
Peterson is acting like Reid is some game-changing player who can help replicate the loss of Ball's star production. Again, Reid is a fantastic complementary piece, but he is very much not that guy.
The Hornets proved they were on the rise last season and looked like they could become a legitimate playoff team with a young 25-and-under core of Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Keeping this core together would have given the Hornets a much stronger chance to finally compete for a title as opposed to breaking it up. Peterson is lying to his fans by saying otherwise.
Defenders of this trade from the Hornets' side have argued that the picks from this trade make it a win. Let's break these picks down, though, shall we?
Firstly, there's an unprotected 2033 pick -- that's valuable; who knows where Minnesota will be seven years from now. Then there are the pick swaps. The 2028 pick swap is an outright swap between Charlotte and Minnesota. As such, if the Hornets are better than the Wolves in 2028, this pick could be valuable. Regardless, the final two pick swaps in 2030 and 2029 are the worst of two or three teams.
Oh yes, so much flexibility, Mr. Peterson. Listen, if these picks were all unprotected, then, sure, you can sell your fans on that, but acting like these pick swaps are valuable is dishonest.
If anything, Peterson's press conference and explanation for the trade further prove that the Timberwolves fleeced the Hornets.
Add us as a preferred source on Google