The Minnesota Timberwolves kept busy during the 2026 NBA trade deadline. Deals were made on Minnesota’s end, but the big swings surely weren’t unnoticed.
In addition to being in the never-ending Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, the Hornets also reportedly attempted to tap the market on Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball as well.
According to the NBA Insider Chris Haynes, there was a brief period during which the Timberwolves looked to create a LaMelo Ball-Anthony Edwards pairing.
“I was told that they checked in with Charlotte and were trying to figure out a way to see if anything could materialize,” Haynes reported on Sports On Prime. “But the Charlotte Hornets have been playing tremendous ball as of late.”
While they still hold a losing record in Buzz City, there is no denying the Hornets are one of the hottest teams in basketball. On Thursday night, the Hornets won their eighth game in a row. They are now 9-1 over the last 10 games. Sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets hold a 24-28 record on the year.
The recent surge has caused the Hornets to enter the trade deadline with a mindset to improve today’s roster, rather than selling off players for future assets. A trade with the Chicago Bulls gave the Hornets a chance to pick up the young standout veteran, Coby White. While White comes from a rebuilding situation himself, he’s been productive enough to be viewed as a win-now type of piece.
White left the Bulls after averaging 18.6 points and 4.7 assists per game this year.
The idea was to help the young core unit, headlined by Ball. While the former first-rounder has dealt with injury concerns, rumors of clashes with his coach, and questions about his true value to winning games, the Hornets clearly weren’t actively shopping Ball ahead of the deadline. The Timberwolves didn’t stand a chance to land him.
Per Haynes’ report, the Hornets want to give their young core more time to “gel and figure things out.” While a Ball trade shouldn’t be totally ruled out in the future, it definitely wasn’t anything worth considering this season.
This year, Ball has appeared in 41 games, averaging 19.1 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. He is shooting 40 percent from the field and knocking down 36 percent of his threes.
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