LaMelo Ball is poised to miss his fourth straight game: Is his time in Charlotte nearing its end?

The relationship between LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets has long been a rocky one.

Ball blossomed early in his NBA career, winning the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and making his first (and only to this point) All-Star game in 2022. Shortly thereafter, he was anointed as the face of the Hornets' franchise without much question, earning a well-deserved max contract extension (five-years, $203 million) in July of 2023.

Behind Ball, Mark Williams, and the number two overall pick Brandon Miller, the Hornets were destined for future success just two summers ago. Those three and Miles Bridges were touted as the Hornets 'core four' by the franchise's new ownership group, a nickname that looks nothing short of laughable in hindsight.

It's been all downhill for the relationship between Charlotte and LaMelo since 2023. After inking that max contract, Ball has only played in 75 of Charlotte's 173 games. Chronic ankle injuries have torpedoed his availability, and even though Ball has tried a couple of fixes (most notably a pair of hefty braces and an offseason surgery), he cannot seem to stay available for more than a few weeks at a time.

At this point, Charlotte and LaMelo may be better off going their separate ways. Ball was ruled out for Monday night's home tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers, marking his fourth consecutive game missed to do an ankle impingement.

INJURY UPDATE: @hornets vs LAL 11/10
LaMelo Ball (R Ankle Impingement), Josh Green (L Shoulder Surgery), Brandon Miller (L Shoulder Subluxation) and Grant Williams (R Knee Surgery) are out.

Miles Bridges (Back Spasms) is questionable
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) November 9, 2025

For the Hornets, it is going to be impossible to build a contender around a player who's night-to-night availability is always in question. Their face of the franchise, although undeniably electric when he's on the court, is a massive question mark, and that may be a tad generous at this point.

It's hard to know how talented the young core that Charlotte has amassed really is when their ringleader can't stay healthy. Charlotte is much better when Ball plays, and he clearly elevates his teammates with his IQ, vision, and offensive talent, but due to his inability to stay healthy, Charlotte's offensive approach has to change weekly. That's not helping anyone, let alone the four rookies who have earned roles in Charles Lee's lineups.

For Ball, a change of scenery might be necessary to rehabilitate his NBA career.

Although generally untrue, LaMelo has been labeled as a 'good stats, bad team' type of player that chucks shots and goes viral despite his team losing game after game. On top of upping his Q-score among the NBA media masses (remember, Ball won the fan vote for last year's All-Star game, but he didn't make the team due to the coaches and media) there's a world in which another franchise can solve Ball's never-ending ankle issues.

Golden State was able to turn Stephen Curry into something of an ironman after his early career was tarnished by ankle issues; who's to say another team can't do the same for Ball?

LaMelo's market value is nearly impossible to pin down right now, but Charlotte may be better off trading him before he continues to miss time and it tanks like Enron. It's difficult to say because LaMelo Ball is truly 'one-of-one,' but the right trade may be the one to supercharge Charlotte's rebuild and lead to the long-term success they were never able to find with Ball as their leader.

If Charlotte can get even a moderate trade package in return for Ball, now is the time to do it, before these ankle injuries end another season for LaMelo before it even gets to December, and its too late.

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