LaMelo Ball traded to Timberwolves to team up with fellow top pick Anthony Edwards in blockbuster deal: report

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One of the hottest names in the NBA is on the move to a contender.

The Charlotte Hornets reportedly traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, teaming the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft with the first overall pick that year in Anthony Edwards.

Ball, the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year, has become one of the best guards in the league, averaging 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, although injuries have hampered him. He played in just 105 games from the start of the 2022-23 season through the 2024-25 campaign.

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Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves interacts with LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets during the third quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 22, 2024. The Hornets defeated the Timberwolves 128-125. (David Berding/Getty Images)

The Hornets have not been able to break their playoff drought, which has been in place since the 2015-16 season, and opted to trade Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks.

The T-Wolves have made the playoffs for five straight seasons, including appearances in the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025, so it makes sense to bring in Ball to help out Edwards, who dropped a career-high 28.8 points per game this past season.

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets passes the ball during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 24, 2023. (David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images)

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