Sell High: Charlotte Hornets Should Trade LaMelo Ball

The Hornets sit at 4-9 and, despite a promising young core, look far from a playoff team — fueling talk that Charlotte should at least explore trading star LaMelo Ball. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted, "If you're asking me if Trae, Ja and LaMelo all came onto the trade market tomorrow, I think LaMelo would have the best market. But that's all hypothetical right now." Ball is averaging 22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 9.9 assists but has a spotty health history and carries a $40M‑plus average contract, making now a possible moment to convert value into future assets. Merlin sees the dilemma clearly: keep a fragile franchise cornerstone or harvest draft capital to build around unexpected standouts like Kon Kneuppel (17.2 PPG). Trading LaMelo would reshape the Hornets’ timeline — a risky surrender of star power, but a clear path to a real rebuild if they act while his production still draws suitors.