Skip Bayless is Not a Fan of the Hornets Trading LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges

Death, taxes, and an opinion from popular sports media personality Skip Bayless.

No matter what life throws at us, whether we want it or not, we are guaranteed all three.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Bayless, the former ESPN and FOX host, had something to say about the two big moves the Charlotte Hornets made in trading both Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball this past week.

On @GilsArenaShow, @RealSkipBayless didn’t pull punches with his views of the Hornets trading LaMelo Ball

“He is just a talent you can’t replace.” pic.twitter.com/aqOUxcWOp8
— Langston Wertz Jr. (@langstonwertzjr) June 30, 2026

“I don’t get it,” Bayless said as a guest on Gil’s Arena, the show of former Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas. “In fact, I think it’s insane on the part of the Charlotte Hornets to blow up what took off right under their nose.”

Bayless cited the dramatic turnaround of Buzz City in the second half of last season, going from 19 wins in the 2024-2025 season to 44 victories and a spot in the play-in game a year later.

“They were on January 2nd, 11-23, and they took off in the way very few teams in the NBA have taken off, coming from nowhere,” he explained to Arenas and his cohosts Kenyon Martin, Sr., and Rashad McCants. “They went 32-13 down the stretch. Over those games from January 1st on, they ranked number one in the NBA on offense and number five in the NBA in defense.”

Bayless took particular issue with the Ball trade, going so far as saying he would no longer watch Hornets games in the future.

Hyperboles aside, Bayless did make some good points. While he acknowledged Ball’s off (driving issues) and on-court issues (shot selection, defense), Bayless could not get over the fact that Charlotte would trade its face of the franchise for the return of Naz Reid, multiple first-round picks, and several second-round picks.

“He’s just a talent you can’t replace,” Bayless said. “You had it right in your lap. It needed another year to grow. They just took a big giant step backwards to me.”

Bayless then addressed the many disappointed Hornets fans who may be disillusioned by the team’s front office strategy since the end of last season.

“I feel sorry for Charlotte fans,” he said. “They really had something to look forward to and root for and now they don’t.”

Again, the fact that Bayless had an opinion on a topic of the Ball and Bridges trades is not shocking. What is, however, is the fact that many Hornet fans might actually agree with him.

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