Should the Nets Consider Targeting LaMelo Ball Amid Trade Rumors?

The Brooklyn Nets are in no rush to speed up the rebuild through the early stages. Yes, their on-court product is in the basement of the NBA, but that's a part of the process. Winning games isn't a major priority compared to developing young talent and receiving a top draft pick in 2026.

The Nets are putting a lot of stock into their youth, specifically, their five first-round picks from earlier this year. With a record number of rookies selected in the top 30, plus plenty of future draft capital, they have enough to feel comfortable when looking down the road.

However, an important aspect and potential concern regarding the rookies is the lack of scoring aggression. Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf are talented on offense, but they're more playmaking-oriented. A reason so many analysts were skeptical of the selections is that scoring wasn't a strong suit for those prospects.

If Brooklyn wants a franchise scorer outside of Cam Thomas, whose contract expires after this season, could the team turn to the trade market? There are plenty of young stars rumored to be available now or in the future, and one of them is LaMelo Ball.

It's weird to say out loud, but the Charlotte Hornets have been stuck in a rebuild for the last decade. They haven't made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, and have just one Play-In Tournament appearance with Ball at the helm.

The Hornets have failed to supplement the 2020 lottery pick with enough talent to compete at a high level. Young wings such as Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller are promising, but at 4-9, Charlotte still isn't going anywhere right now. Last season, rumblings of Ball being dealt started to arise.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently gave intel on the Ball trade rumors, citing one executive who said his value would be higher than that of fellow All-Stars Trae Young and Ja Morant.

"If you're asking me if Trae, Ja and LaMelo all came onto the trade market tomorrow, I think LaMelo would have the best market," the executive said. "But that's all hypothetical right now."

There have been concerns with the 6-foot-7 point guard regarding efficiency, shot selection and defense, but his offensive skill set cannot be denied. This season, he's averaging 22.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The shooting splits aren't great, but he's still just 24 years old, not having hit his prime yet.

So, when looking at the Nets, is it worth it to target Ball? His contract is set to expire in 2029, so retention wouldn't be a concern. The young star would provide more offense to a young Nets team, and Brooklyn could make a deal for him without giving the Hornets too much of their future.

If the Nets went after Ball, they'd likely have to give up a mix of young players (potentially the rookies) as well as first-round draft capital. Still, Brooklyn has accumulated so many future assets that it would have plenty left over after a trade.

The challenge would be giving him a different situation than the one in Charlotte. The Nets would have to speed up the rebuild and start to win games with the talent around Ball. It's possible in a weak Eastern Conference, but is it a risk they'd be willing to take? Right now, the pros seem to outweigh the cons.