NBA insiders reveal LaMelo Ball's trade value vs. Trae Young, Ja Morant

At various times this season, LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Ja Morant have been named in trade discussions. For Ball, it'e because neither he nor the Charlotte Hornets were having much success.

For Young, the Atlanta Hawks were winning without him and could save a ton of money. For Morant, it was his public displeasure with the Memphis Grizzlies' coaching staff.

Each of the three remains unlikely to be traded, but part of that is because they each have so much baggage. When breaking them down, which one is more valuable? According to some NBA insiders, it's certainly not Ball.

NBA insiders claim LaMelo Ball has worst value among three star guards

The Charlotte Hornets are highly unlikely to trade LaMelo Ball, at least not this season. They want to fully evaluate the core of him, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel, and at times, that trio has looked exceptional.

But if they do, they might struggle to get good value. According to Sam Amick, John Hollinger, and Josh Robbins, Ball is not as desirable as Trae Young or Ja Morant.

When asked which he'd trade for, Amick said, "I’m definitely guilty of recency bias here, but the answer — given what happened on Tuesday night — is Morant." Robbins later agreed on that front, but he said he'd probably rather have Young.

"I would go with Young. For all his struggles on defense, Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021," Robbins said, making the case that Young's playoff performances give him the edge.

Hollinger, the final assessor, also said it would be Young. "You know what you’re getting so it’s much easier to value him properly in a trade. He doesn’t have the reliability issues that the other two have," he noted.

To argue the other side, Ball has some advantages the other two do not. He's much younger, for one thing. Despite being six years in, he'll turn 25 just before the start of next season. Morant will be 27 at that time, and Young 28.

Ball also has a higher ceiling than the other two. He is a much better passer than Morant, and he's probably a better scorer than Young. He's a better rebounder than both, arguably. His highs are so high. His lows are very low, which is part of why he's so hard to get a read on.

Regardless, these three analysts don't see the value in Ball right now, so it's hard to imagine a trade happening.

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