Dell Curry Believes the Hornets Will Be Better 'in the Long Run' After LaMelo Ball Trade

A bright future in Charlotte? Hornets legend Dell Curry thinks so.

Mar 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dell Curry addresses the crowd during the ceremony to retire his Charlotte Hornets jersey during halftime of the game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been a little over two weeks since the Charlotte Hornets made the surprising decision to ship LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and fans are still trying to wrap their head around the move and why it was made.

The deal is not official as of Friday afternoon, so Hornets President of Basketball Ops, Jeff Peterson, hasn't been able to discuss the decision in detail just yet. Once he does, I'm not sure his reasoning will calm the fan base down, but it will at least allow him to explain the decision.

In the meantime, others, such as Hornets legend Dell Curry, have offered thoughts on the new direction. Curry discussed the organization's vision in a discussion with WCNC's Nick Carboni.

"Hard decisions need to be made...I tip my hat to them to be able to say we're going to make those hard decisions and it's for the betterment of the organization."

I spoke with #Hornets legend and broadcaster Dell Curry about the team's recent roster shakeup. @wcnc #NBA pic.twitter.com/66g1qd8Qa9

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) July 10, 2026

“You want to do one thing, and that’s win. Let’s bring Charlotte a championship," Curry said. "With new ownership, new front office, hard decisions need to be made. I tip my hat to them to be able to say we're going to make those hard decisions, and it's for the betterment of the organization…tough decisions have to be made along the way to better your team. And I think in the long run, definitely the Hornets will be a better team. I know it stings right now, but in the long run, everybody wants to win, and you want to hold up that trophy at the end of the year.”

A better team without LaMelo???

Charlotte Hornets

Right now? Absolutely not. Sure, Coby White may do a much better job of taking care of the basketball, but he's nowhere near the facilitator Ball is, and guys like Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel thrived having an elite playmaker getting them the basketball.

They have also not used their $40M trade exception yet or made another significant move to bolster the roster. It will be difficult to judge the long-term future of the Hornets until they pull the trigger on those two moves.

It is interesting, though, that Curry wasn't afraid to say that the Hornets will be a better team in the long run, especially without knowing what the plan is to take this team to the next level. Did he have the same lack of confidence in LaMelo as the front office? It's possible. The talent, believe, wasn't the question for him or Peterson; it was the ability to stay on the floor long-term, which is something he hasn't been able to prove in consecutive years.

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