Shams just reported the Hornets are discussing a Lamelo trade with multiple teams

[Mnwild1128]

Look, i am in the camp that i NEVER would of wanted Melo on our team. I have no hopes for this, BUT.... if he happened to grow up, cut his horrible bad shots by 50% and could somehow play at least 60 games every season, that is the world where this trade becomes a laughable steal by the Wolves. He won't ever be even a below average defender. He is just plain bad. So i have no hopes with that part of his game. At least it was not Ja Moron, cause that is even worse.

[Mnwild1128]

Makes me wonder if they had any idea about this Melo trade during the draft. If so, they should have drafted a big at pick 33. If not, maybe a team that picked below us would swap Evans for their big.

[Q-is-here]

Look, i am in the camp that i NEVER would of wanted Melo on our team. I have no hopes for this, BUT.... if he happened to grow up, cut his horrible bad shots by 50% and could somehow play at least 60 games every season, that is the world where this trade becomes a laughable steal by the Wolves. He won't ever be even a below average defender. He is just plain bad. So i have no hopes with that part of his game. At least it was not Ja Moron, cause that is even worse.

He was objectively a great player last season. Go to the Charlotte reddit board and see what their fans are saying about this trade right now. It might give you some much-needed perspective.

I agree that he seemed like a pretty unserious player for most of his time at Charlotte, but last year they played winning basketball and he was the tip of the spear.

[Mnwild1128]

Look, i am in the camp that i NEVER would of wanted Melo on our team. I have no hopes for this, BUT.... if he happened to grow up, cut his horrible bad shots by 50% and could somehow play at least 60 games every season, that is the world where this trade becomes a laughable steal by the Wolves. He won't ever be even a below average defender. He is just plain bad. So i have no hopes with that part of his game. At least it was not Ja Moron, cause that is even worse.

He was objectively a great player last season. Go to the Charlotte reddit board and see what their fans are saying about this trade right now. It might give you some much-needed perspective.

I agree that he seemed like a pretty unserious player for most of his time at Charlotte, but last year they played winning basketball and he was the tip of the spear.

Oh i have. For years. And it is literally the complete opposite of what you are trying to tout. They only like him cause he was the only star they had. But all admit he is a HUGE knucklehead. Who's minutes were cut down to 28 mpg as well.

[Lipoli390]

The PF position doesn't really exist anymore, so not sure what all the hand-wringing is over on that front. Julius Randle is an anachronism. It's one of the reasons why he was traded.

Most teams have what I'd call a big wing as their PF. I mean, Jason Tatum has been Boston's starting PF for years. He's 6'8" and about 215 lbs. Is Tobias Harris overpowering his matchups? He averaged 5 rebounds a game this past season. How about Julian Champagnie!?

I agree that after trading Randle and Reid, we definitely need more forward depth. But that doesn't have to be a big-bodied traditional PF, especially with Rudy at Center and Jaden also providing some weakside rim protection.

One route is to go get a wing defender that can start at the other forward position next to Jaden and takes on the main POA assignments. I have no clue who that is, but I'm not too worried about Jaden somehow being overmatched by other PFs. Heck, Ant can guard a lot of PFs and Jaden may be assigned to the secondary wing or guard.

Q - The issue for me isn’t that we don’t have a “traditional” PF. My concern is two fold. First, we lose a lot of rebounding without both Randle and Naz. Jaden simply isn’t a particularly good rebounder. That’s a big void to fill. Second, we don’t have any physicality up front. Randle was at least a strong body and could assert himself physically inside. And Naz was another rim protector. Rudy provides rebounding and rim protection but he no longer has Naz and Randle to supplement his rebounding or Naz to supplement his rim protection. We lacked physicality up front before this trade and it’s even worse now. Although Rudy is a great defender and rim protector, he’s physically weak. KAT and Mitchell showed us how to guard Wemby. You can’t guard him vertically; you’ll lose every time. You have to get physical with him and out-muscle him. That’s what KAT and Mitchell did. Rudy simply can’t do that and I can’t think of anyone on our roster who can do what KAT and Mitchell did on Wemby or on any opposing player inside.

So I think it’s imperative that we add a physical, high-level rebounder to our roster and rotation. I don’t care whether we call him a PF, SF or C. We just need that sort of player in my view.

[60WinTim]

Makes me wonder if they had any idea about this Melo trade during the draft. If so, they should have drafted a big at pick 33. If not, maybe a team that picked below us would swap Evans for their big.

While I’m sure the concept of a LaMelo trade had been discussed, along with numerous other teams for other players, I doubt there was anything “for sure” during the draft. I think these GMs have general goals they want to accomplish, a lot of the actual transactions are spur of the moment decisions. The Hornets drafting a PG played a role in making their decision to proceed with trading LaMelo, and they chose the offer they liked best.

[Monster]

The PF position doesn't really exist anymore, so not sure what all the hand-wringing is over on that front. Julius Randle is an anachronism. It's one of the reasons why he was traded.

Most teams have what I'd call a big wing as their PF. I mean, Jason Tatum has been Boston's starting PF for years. He's 6'8" and about 215 lbs. Is Tobias Harris overpowering his matchups? He averaged 5 rebounds a game this past season. How about Julian Champagnie!?

I agree that after trading Randle and Reid, we definitely need more forward depth. But that doesn't have to be a big-bodied traditional PF, especially with Rudy at Center and Jaden also providing some weakside rim protection.

One route is to go get a wing defender that can start at the other forward position next to Jaden and takes on the main POA assignments. I have no clue who that is, but I'm not too worried about Jaden somehow being overmatched by other PFs. Heck, Ant can guard a lot of PFs and Jaden may be assigned to the secondary wing or guard.

That's what I've been saying too!! It boggles my mind that Jaden can't play as 4 to some people.

Based on your comments tho, you seem less convinced of Ayo playing small forward, yes?

Yeah, not sure that's ideal, but I do wonder if Ayo is told his main purpose in life is to be our #1 wing/guard defender and hit open 3s then may be he's the guy. But he's probably ideally suited to be our 3rd guard that can sub for either Ant or Ball and play significant minutes.

Another less-than-ideal option, but I wouldn't rule it out, is to start Clark, with him taking on the main POA assignment. He'd be almost a token starter like Lu Dort was for OKC, playing well under 30 MPG. He's an outstanding cutter, but not a great shooter. Just not sure if Ant/Jaden/Ball is enough to offset Rudy and Clark offensively.

Josh Green might be that type of guy. I think he might be a little bigger than Clark. He is also a much better 3 point shooter although on low volume. Of course who knows if either guy will actually be on the roster. Clark should be cheap so I would think he is back but he hasn't signed yet so yeah.

[Wolvesfan21]

Look, i am in the camp that i NEVER would of wanted Melo on our team. I have no hopes for this, BUT.... if he happened to grow up, cut his horrible bad shots by 50% and could somehow play at least 60 games every season, that is the world where this trade becomes a laughable steal by the Wolves. He won't ever be even a below average defender. He is just plain bad. So i have no hopes with that part of his game. At least it was not Ja Moron, cause that is even worse.

He was objectively a great player last season. Go to the Charlotte reddit board and see what their fans are saying about this trade right now. It might give you some much-needed perspective.

I agree that he seemed like a pretty unserious player for most of his time at Charlotte, but last year they played winning basketball and he was the tip of the spear.

He was the offensive leader for the number one offense in the NBA post Jan 1. So yeah, he was elite. He even grabbed 5 boards a game. Thats really solid for a PG, especially in that he avg 28 minutes only. I guess that goes back to the concern if he can stay healthy the fact he played 28 mpg last year.

Looking it up, yeah he avg's 6.6 TRB per 36. Thats high level rebounding for the PG position (avg is 4.7) and Ant is at 5.1 per 36 for reference. Now that could be a function a bit of not playing with an elite level rebounding big like Rudy too. But either way. A nice positive about him, he grabs boards.

[Monster]

The PF position doesn't really exist anymore, so not sure what all the hand-wringing is over on that front. Julius Randle is an anachronism. It's one of the reasons why he was traded.

Most teams have what I'd call a big wing as their PF. I mean, Jason Tatum has been Boston's starting PF for years. He's 6'8" and about 215 lbs. Is Tobias Harris overpowering his matchups? He averaged 5 rebounds a game this past season. How about Julian Champagnie!?

I agree that after trading Randle and Reid, we definitely need more forward depth. But that doesn't have to be a big-bodied traditional PF, especially with Rudy at Center and Jaden also providing some weakside rim protection.

One route is to go get a wing defender that can start at the other forward position next to Jaden and takes on the main POA assignments. I have no clue who that is, but I'm not too worried about Jaden somehow being overmatched by other PFs. Heck, Ant can guard a lot of PFs and Jaden may be assigned to the secondary wing or guard.

Q - The issue for me isn’t that we don’t have a “traditional” PF. My concern is two fold. First, we lose a lot of rebounding without both Randle and Naz. Jaden simply isn’t a particularly good rebounder. That’s a big void to fill. Second, we don’t have any physicality up front. Randle was at least a strong body and could assert himself physically inside. And Naz was another rim protector. Rudy provides rebounding and rim protection but he no longer has Naz and Randle to supplement his rebounding or Naz to supplement his rim protection. We lacked physicality up front before this trade and it’s even worse now. Although Rudy is a great defender and rim protector, he’s physically weak. KAT and Mitchell showed us how to guard Wemby. You can’t guard him vertically; you’ll lose every time. You have to get physical with him and out-muscle him. That’s what KAT and Mitchell did. Rudy simply can’t do that and I can’t think of anyone on our roster who can do what KAT and Mitchell did on Wemby or on any opposing player inside.

So I think it’s imperative that we add a physical, high-level rebounder to our roster and rotation. I don’t care whether we call him a PF, SF or C. We just need that sort of player in my view.

You know who might actually be a good player to do that physical thing on Wemby for a few minutes a game? Kyle Anderson. He isn't a good rebounder but he is tough and has an edge and his playmaking has real value. If everyone else around him was either a shooter or a threat at the rim that might work in the right roll. I think everyone agrees that this team could use another PF/C type. I wonder if they can get someone like that on a 2 way. Freeman in theory could be that guy but I'd definitely be looking at other options. Kaufman Renn looks like he would have no issues pushing Wemby around. Hell he might break him. Lol

[Lipoli390]

Look, i am in the camp that i NEVER would of wanted Melo on our team. I have no hopes for this, BUT.... if he happened to grow up, cut his horrible bad shots by 50% and could somehow play at least 60 games every season, that is the world where this trade becomes a laughable steal by the Wolves. He won't ever be even a below average defender. He is just plain bad. So i have no hopes with that part of his game. At least it was not Ja Moron, cause that is even worse.

He was objectively a great player last season. Go to the Charlotte reddit board and see what their fans are saying about this trade right now. It might give you some much-needed perspective.

I agree that he seemed like a pretty unserious player for most of his time at Charlotte, but last year they played winning basketball and he was the tip of the spear.

He was the offensive leader for the number one offense in the NBA post Jan 1. So yeah, he was elite. He even grabbed 5 boards a game. Thats really solid for a PG, especially in that he avg 28 minutes only. I guess that goes back to the concern if he can stay healthy the fact he played 28 mpg last year.

Looking it up, yeah he avg's 6.6 TRB per 36. Thats high level rebounding for the PG position (avg is 4.7) and Ant is at 5.1 per 36 for reference. Now that could be a function a bit of not playing with an elite level rebounding big like Rudy too. But either way. A nice positive about him, he grabs boards.

1. The data tells us Q is right that LaMelo was an elite and winning player last season. There’s no question about it:

LaMelo Ball’s advanced statistics highlight his status as an elite offensive playmaker with a high usage rate and a proven ability to rack up assists and rebounds. Key advanced metrics from his recent campaigns underline his playstyle:

* True Shooting Percentage (TS%): Hovers around 53.6%, which factors in his three-point and free-throw efficiency.

* Assist Percentage (AST%): Ranks among the highest in the league, generally sitting around 36%, meaning he is actively creating for teammates on over a third of the possessions he is on the floor.

* Usage Percentage (USG%): Consistently in the high 20% to low 30% range, indicating he serves as the primary offensive engine for the Charlotte Hornets.

* Player Efficiency Rating (PER): Sits in the 18.0 to 19.5 range, well above the league average, reflecting strong overall per-minute production.

2. More importantly, his individual play made the team much better when he was on the court and contributed heavily to the team’s success winning games:

2025–26 On/Off Net Rating Splits
The numbers paint a clear picture: when LaMelo is on the floor, the Charlotte Hornets operate as a premier NBA offense. When he sits, their efficiency sharply declines.

Environment Offensive Rating Defensive Rating Net Rating
On-Court 126.1 117.6 +8.5
Off-Court 114.5 112.3 +2.2
Net Delta +11.6 -5.3 +6.3

* The Offensive Surge: His +11.6 on/off offensive rating delta was the 3rd highest in the entire NBA, trailing only MVP-caliber peers Nikola Jokic (+13.0) and Jamal Murray (+12.2)

* The Defensive Tax: The team's defensive rating drops by 5.3 points when he is on the floor. His high-gambling defensive style and heavy energy expenditure on offense slightly lower the team's defensive efficiency, though it is heavily outweighed by his immense offensive generation.

Here’s how LaMelo compared to Anthony Edwards a few inarguably great players whose teams have won NBA championships:

Jokic: +17.3
SGA: +9.1
LaMelo: +6.3
Ant: +3.2
Brunson: -3.3

A season-by-season breakdown of Ball’s Win Share statistics includes:

2025–26: 6.1 Win Shares (72 games)

2024–25: 4.1 Win Shares (47 games)

2023–24: 1.8 Win Shares (22 games)

2022–23: 2.2 Win Shares (36 games)

2021–22: 5.8 Win Shares (75 games)

2020–21: 2.8 Win Shares (51 games)

Obviously, LaMelo helps his team win games. Note that his positive impact on winning jumps way up when he stays on the court for the bulk of his team’s games.