Worst Part of LaMelo Ball Trade Has Nothing to do With Actual Hornets Move

The move is bad in many ways, but perhaps the worst of all has nothing to do with on-court production or the return package.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) is challenged by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

In so many ways, the Charlotte Hornets' decision to trade LaMelo Ball is a tough pill to swallow. From an on-court standpoint, the Hornets are certainly going to be worse in 2026-27 because of it.

Off-court, the locker room is likely in shambles for the time being, as everyone's probably a little concerned if the franchise player can be traded with virtually no build-up.

The return for the trade is also problematic, with the Hornets essentially getting Naz Reid (a backup big man) and an unprotected pick seven years in the future. The pick swaps and second-rounders are, by and large, inconsequential.

That's all bad, but it's not the worst part. The worst part is that it unfairly puts a player in a seriously negative light, and it seemingly confirms all the ridiculous narratives that plagued Ball for his entire tenure.

One of the biggest things people said about Ball was that he couldn't stay healthy. Well, this year, he worked really hard to be on the court, even suggesting coming off the bench sometimes to keep his body fresh. It worked.

Another major criticism is that he's not a serious player, and while he certainly didn't stop playing with flair and creativity, he spearheaded one of the most competitive teams in the NBA following January 1.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) sets the play defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Another part of that criticism is that he's not a winner, but the Hornets won 44 games this year, their best mark in about a decade, and morphed into a 28-10 team in the second half.

The biggest one, though, may be that Ball doesn't make his teammates better, that he's all show and no substance. Ball made everyone better on the court, and the numbers bear that out.

Here is the disparity for all the major Hornets players' offensive ratings between when they play with Ball and when he's off the floor:

• Kon Knueppel: -12.9
• Brandon Miller: -9.9
• Miles Bridges: -10.3
• Moussa Diabaté: -15.1
• Grant Williams: -13.4
• Ryan Kalkbrenner: -7.7
• Sion James: -12.8

Pretty much across the board, these Hornets needed Ball on the floor to succeed, so he shattered that ridiculous narrative. In most senses, this was a huge season for Ball to rewrite the narrative about himself.

Yet, the Hornets traded him anyway, which means they buy into at least some of it. Despite the health he enjoyed, the Hornets don't seem to believe it'll last. They don't care how much better he made everyone.

They don't care that he led them to the best season the team has had in ages, perhaps ever. By some metrics, and if you ignore the injury-marred 16-27 start to the season, that was the best the Hornets have ever been.

Ball did an incredible job answering all the biggest questions surrounding him, and it didn't matter. The trade rumors persisted, and they won. It reflects really poorly on the player, which is painfully unfair.

The point guard didn't deserve that from the team he stuck by and had every intention of helping lead as far as he could possibly take them.

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