RealGM

KINGS
In:Ball
Out:Carter/DDR/Kings26(unp)/Wolves 31(unp)

The Kings are taking a chance on Lamelo, who I think would be a great fit (at least on paper): talented, brash, and offensive-oriented.

HORNETS
In:Carter/DDR/Kings 26/Wolves 31
Out:Ball

He gets 2 unprotected FRP and a defensive-oriented prospect at the beginning of his contract. In this scenario (just imagining it), the new Hornets front office wants to sculpt their own team, trying to change to a more serious and defensive-oriented culture, leaving Ball's availability issues behind. Alternatively, they save a few million, probably to facilitate some other operation and charge for it.

thoughts? is it okay value and direction?

Hornets just aren't motivated to sell their most popular player in decades, who brings in the fans.

One_and_Done wrote:Hornets just aren't motivated to sell their most popular player in decades, who brings in the fans.

Yeah, say what you want about LaMelo, but not sure why an already bad team would trade away a mega-talented 23 year old for a guy nearing the end and a couple of way future unknown picks.

BigGargamel wrote:

One_and_Done wrote:Hornets just aren't motivated to sell their most popular player in decades, who brings in the fans.

Yeah, say what you want about LaMelo, but not sure why an already bad team would trade away a mega-talented 23 year old for a guy nearing the end and a couple of way future unknown picks.

Yes, that's why I asked about the value, I wasn't sure... the reason? 47/22/36 are the number of games Ball has played in the last 3 seasons. To make a comparison, Zion has played 30 more games in that same time frame and it's a popular opinion that NOP should move him... and I guess we can all agree that Zion is a (much) more impactful player when it comes to winning games.

In a market like Charlotte, you can't trade a player that exciting who sells tickets, not unless it's a homerun deal.

BigGargamel wrote:

One_and_Done wrote:Hornets just aren't motivated to sell their most popular player in decades, who brings in the fans.

Yeah, say what you want about LaMelo, but not sure why an already bad team would trade away a mega-talented 23 year old for a guy nearing the end and a couple of way future unknown picks.

I personally wouldn't do it if I'm Charlotte bc like others have said, he sells tickets and is popular there, but there is a ton of justification should the Hornets decide to trade him. He's not a great 3 point shooter, is a pretty bad defender (he actually looks like he tries but it's just not a strong suit), has an assist to turnover ratio barely over 2, and is always injured. He's also going into his 6th season so at this point it's almost safe to say this is the player he is.

Team is 22nd in attendance and I don't believe Melo is keeping that from being significantly worse. Only a handful of players truly fill buildings and he isn't one of them. That's not a reason for deciding on whether or not to trade him.

but I'd avoid this as the Kings first. They don't need more offense and they don't need more selfish, non-team first play.

If you follow the Hornets all you hear from interviews with the coaches (Kemba Walker included) is how dedicated LaMelo is towards getting better at basketball.

He sometimes plays like a Hot Dog but he thoroughly loves the game. Super coachable.

You also hear how much fun his teammates have sharing the court with him.

PASS