All the NBA buzz was around a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, a potential Jaylen Brown trade, and the NBA Draft, before, seemingly out of nowhere, we got reports that the Hornets were shopping LaMelo Ball hard on Wednesday night. And it didn’t take long for this to come to fruition as a trade was finalized on Thursday morning with Ball heading to Minnesota along with Josh Green, in exchange for Naz Reid, a first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks.
It’s a fascinating deal as the Hornets, coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory, decided to sell high on the straw that stirs the drink, and arguably their best player in Ball. They are betting against his health, betting on Anthony Edwards leaving the Wolves and those future picks being good, and betting on Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and Reid going forward.
For the Timberwolves, it’s pretty simple. They needed another ballhandler to take pressure off Edwards, and they got one of the best in LaMelo. The Ball/Edwards pairing is dynamic as can be, and with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels anchoring the defense, this becomes a very intriguing team out West.Â
Fallout felt by Celtics
So how does this impact the Celtics? Actually quite a bit. For one, a surging Eastern Conference team inarguably got worse. Every possible stat indicates they were at their best when he was on the court, and they have major shoes to fill in the backcourt.
In terms of the trade market, it will also have some ripple effects. The Wolves were a team frequently connected to Derrick White and floated as a possible trade partner. But all of those deals figured to have a big man coming to Boston, likely either Gobert or Reid.
Gobert and Reid now likely untouchable
Now, that feels almost impossible. Minnesota just sent out Julius Randle and Reid, leaving them with Gobert and the young Joan Beringer, only. For this LaMelo/Ant pairing to work, they are going to need Rudy on the backline more than ever. He’ll also be instrumental as a screen-setter, and he should get more easy buckets rolling to the rim off of an elite passer in Ball.
Naz Reid now feels equally unavailable. He’s the only player heading to Charlotte in the deal, and they have been seeking a young frontcourt building block to team up with Kon and Miller. So Reid’s role and value have been elevated, and the same goes for Gobert. The idea of trading for either one is just about dead.
Maybe this was never a real consideration for the Celtics, but it was certainly an option, one that no longer exists. Boston certainly isn’t showing any urgency to get deals done, but if they are going to act, they may want to do it quickly, as their options and leverage are disappearing by the day.
Add us as a preferred source on Google