Bill Simmons, Zach Lowe Flip-Flop on LaMelo Ball but Remain High on Hornets

All season long, there was plenty of hype for the up-and-coming Charlotte Hornets. Among national NBA media members, it's possible that no one was more bullish on that group than Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe.

Those two had frequent podcast segments dedicated to how awesome the Hornets were, and they routinely pushed back on all those anti-Ball narratives that had plagued the guard over the years.

One might expect them to be shocked and/or dismayed a little by the Hornets breaking up that ridiculously successful core, but that's not the case at all. In fact, now both Simmons and Lowe are perhaps higher on the Hornets, and they've flip-flopped on Ball.

🎙️ @ZachLowe_NBA on whether the Hornets are the team he'd want to be in the East for the next 7 years: "Off the top, Charlotte is definitely maybe No. 1." https://t.co/FdewbugsJO pic.twitter.com/bacMyleNum
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) June 29, 2026

Both Lowe and Simmons loved flipping Ball to the Timberwolves for three pick swaps, three second-rounders, a 2033 unprotected first-rounder, and Naz Reid.

Ball's injury history is a big reason the Hornets are being praised by the two insiders for moving on from Ball. Simmons said, "[He's] on this crazy list of guys who have averaged 20 PPG in their first six seasons but have played less than 10,000 minutes. And it's basically just him, Ja Morant, and Zion [Williamson]? That's it. He's not reliable!"

Then, combined with the Miles Bridges trade that flipped a heavily-protected 2029 first to an unprotected 2033 pick and brought in Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neal, the Hornets have come out with a pretty good treasure trove of assets.

Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) and guard Lamelo Ball | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Granted, the assets they've brought back are probably not quite worth the overall talent they have lost, but it still adds to a ridiculous stockpile of picks, which Lowe and Simmons both love.

Simmons posited that he might take the Hornets as the team to watch out for in the Eastern Conference over the next seven years, and Lowe, after glancing at other teams and their situations, agreed that they might top the list.

It's a little surprising to see them remain so supportive of the Hornets despite them moving on from the player the analysts both praised endlessly last year, one who drove much of the Hornets' success.

But if you're looking for a positive outlook on the team after losing its two longest-tenured members and the face of the franchise for half a decade, then look no further than these two. They're all-in on what the Hornets are doing, even if most of the fan base is not.

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