GM: Ball trade can help Hornets 'compete for championships' - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — Calling it «probably the most difficult» decision he has had to make, Jeff Peterson said the LaMelo Ball trade was done with the goal of building sustained success for the Charlotte Hornets to contend for a title down the road.

The Hornets' president of basketball operations met with the media Saturday to explain the surprising decision to trade one of the franchise's most popular players after the trade became official. The Hornets sent Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three second-round picks and three first-round pick swaps. The deal was part of a four-team deal that included Brooklyn and Chicago.

«These decisions are challenging at times, but when you look at the totality of the season and everything of where we were, it's important to take an honest look in the mirror of where you guys are as a team,» Peterson said at the news conference at the Las Vegas summer league. «And that's what I had to do at the end of the season. And it just felt like the goal is never to compete for a play-in spot. The goal isn't to get to the play-in or even the playoffs for one year.

»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."

The trade, which was agreed upon after the NBA draft last month, came as a surprise after Ball helped the Hornets make the second-best turnaround in the NBA last season behind San Antonio. Charlotte won 44 games