Following the Hornets’ disappointing road loss to the 2-13 Indiana Pacers — their fourth straight, dropping Charlotte to twelfth within the Eastern Conference with a 4-11 report — star guard LaMelo Ball has grown more and more annoyed with the group and is open to a trade away from the franchise, a number of league sources instructed Yahoo Sports.
On Wednesday evening, the one-time All-Star was benched for the ultimate 4:32 of regulation within the 127-119 loss, ending the sport with 18 factors on simply 5-for-21 capturing and 6 turnovers in 27 minutes.
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Ball’s effectivity has cratered in his sixth season as a Hornet, averaging profession lows in subject objective proportion (.385) and 3-point proportion (.298). Ball nonetheless stays an elite playmaker, averaging a profession excessive in assists (9.6) and Charlotte is clearly a greater staff with Ball than with out — 17.3 factors higher per 100 possessions with him on the ground, in accordance to Cleaning the Glass.
To say it’s been a tough begin in Charlotte is placing it frivolously. Head coach Charles Lee has tried to implement a extra deliberate offensive system, with extra ball and participant motion and empowering Brandon Miller (who’s out with a shoulder damage) and Miles Bridges — all whereas creating rookie Kon Knueppel — in a closely spaced assault. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets are simply nineteenth in offensive effectivity (though a 10-place leap from the 2024-25 season). But Charlotte nonetheless performs at a gradual tempo, simply twentieth in tempo and twenty first in half-court effectivity, regardless of Ball’s constant urge to push the tempo.
League sources say the entrance workplace is more and more hesitant about cementing Ball as a long-term foundational piece, has develop into disillusioned with the 24-year-old and is open to transferring him. Ball has appeared in simply 9 video games this season due to a proper ankle damage. Despite Charlotte’s gradual begin, there have been just a few vibrant spots, notably the spectacular early performances from rookies Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
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Should each side resolve to discover the trade market within the close to future, Ball continues to be younger sufficient to warrant intrigue across the league, however his albatross price ticket could give pause to rival entrance workplaces. Ball, who will earn $37.9 million this season nonetheless has over $130 million remaining over the subsequent three years following the 2025-26 marketing campaign — as well as to a prolonged damage historical past and whispers about his on-court comportment.