sports
Hornets Trade LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Timberwolves for Naz Reid and Multiple Future Picks
The Charlotte Hornets agreed to send LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and seven future draft picks. The deal, first reported by ESPN, awaits league approval and cannot be completed until July 6.
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The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to trade LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, one unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks. The second-round picks the Hornets will receive are scheduled for 2029, 2032 and 2033.
A person familiar with the agreement told the Associated Press on Thursday that the trade has not yet received league approval. Ball, 24, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and remains under contract for three years on a five-year, $203.9 million designated rookie deal.
He earned All-Star honors in 2022 and played in 72 games last season, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds while finishing second in the league with 272 three-pointers made. Naz Reid, 26 and 6 feet 11 inches tall, has played all seven of his NBA seasons with the Timberwolves. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.
The transaction is expected to create an NBA-record trade exception of nearly $41 million for the Hornets. The deals cannot be finalized until July 6, when the league moratorium on such moves ends. The Hornets are expected to re-sign unrestricted free agent Coby White as their new starting point guard.
