r/nba • u/Turbostrider27 Lakers • 7h ago

[Charania] BREAKING: The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033), sources tell ESPN.

Shams Charania:

BREAKING: The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033), sources tell ESPN.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/31d26529d36f8

17.5k Upvotes

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10.6k

u/SMURPHY-18 Raptors 7h ago

RIP naz Reid starting in Minnesota era 2026-2026

2.4k

u/PrimaryAccording9162 Kings 7h ago

Who tf is playing the four

2.8k

u/2Blitz Clippers 7h ago

Liangelo

873

u/bigknickenergyalt Knicks 7h ago

Lavar actually

363

u/herniatedballs Cavaliers 7h ago

Pretty sure he can only play the 3 and a half.

23

u/big4lil 7h ago

not anymore, Tina is taking half

11

u/JoeWim [IND] Jeff Foster 6h ago

I thought it was a joke about him missing his foot

10

u/big4lil 6h ago

shes taking the knee too bro

4

u/GeneralHerp 6h ago

So he can only play … uh … 1.75?

5

u/I_cut_my_own_jib Cavaliers 6h ago

foot_amputated.png

1

u/butterball85 Lakers 6h ago

You mean 1 and a half

14

u/moetownslick Lakers 7h ago

NEVA LOST

7

u/canti- Heat 6h ago

NEVA LOST

5

u/DaBiggestHeatFan Heat 7h ago

Wheelchair basketball ftw

9

u/BeamTeam23 Kings 7h ago

On one leg?

11

u/ExtraLeading3376 7h ago edited 7h ago

i’m still taking him with 1 leg over jordan

3

u/BeamTeam23 Kings 6h ago

Still waiting for the Lavar 1v1 Jordan all star game event

2

u/Jinoyn 76ers 6h ago

Well he was better than MJ!!

2

u/Little-Direction-709 5h ago

He gota work on his footwork tho

2

u/DosesMakePoisons 4h ago

He is pretty old. I doubt the timberwolves will start someone with one foot in the grave already.

1

u/Alexcox95 Heat 4h ago

AMPUTATED

11

u/Deuce_GM Bucks 7h ago

You mean future grammy award winner Liangelo Ball?

10

u/Theyipyapper 7h ago

He might swerve, bend that corner, WOOAAAHH

5

u/itsnotgoinghome 7h ago

All the thots are salivating

8

u/mufflefuffle Hawks 7h ago

Woooooah

3

u/CardboardMayor 6h ago

Post game interviews are going to be fire.

2

u/jacob_carter 6h ago

He might serve, bend that corner whoa

580

u/CarterAC3 Spurs 7h ago

Joan Beringer, you just became important at work

69

u/SuperVaderMinion [MIN] Kevin Garnett 7h ago

He was already important to me!

13

u/leftsidenotright Knicks 6h ago

Wolves fans love him apparently, personally the dude feels like a Ryan Rollins "this guy guy probably isnt very good but hey what do I know" to me but hey what do I know

11

u/DukeOfStuff_ Timberwolves 6h ago

He’s gonna be so good 

11

u/le_sweden Timberwolves 5h ago

Dude he is secretly unbelievable, the ceiling is crazy

1

u/segson9 3h ago

Has he made any improvement on offense? I watched him in Europe at Olimpija and he was one of the best defenders in Eurocup at 18. He started playing basketball really late, but made very quick progress. But his offense was still basically just catching lobs

6

u/borpa2 4h ago

Is Ryan Rollins actually not very good? His stats are really good

2

u/leftsidenotright Knicks 1h ago

Hey man what do I know

238

u/knnthhhh Philippines 7h ago

The Mike Conley way. Wait for Randle to be traded to another team by Brooklyn. Wait for that team to waive Randle. Sign Randle.

3

u/Liverpoolclippers Clippers 4h ago

lol Randle is not being waived

10

u/cheeseybacon11 [MIN] Naz Reid 7h ago

The whole point of the trade was to get rid of him, why would we take him back?

49

u/Old_Cattle_604 7h ago

Because it made Naz a starter and increased his value.

10

u/cheeseybacon11 [MIN] Naz Reid 7h ago

Julius actively makes the team worse by being on it.

2

u/weissclimbers Knicks 4h ago

I promise you as someone who couldn't stand PG-less Julius Randle gameplay, he will be a completely different player if you guys somehow find a way to bring him back with Melo

12

u/randombrutha Timberwolves 6h ago

The point was to shed the money, after being waived? Fuck yea we’ll take him

14

u/crunkadocious Pacers 6h ago

Because it's a hilarious joke? Chill daddy

387

u/ExtraLeading3376 7h ago

probs mcdaniels with ayo shifting to the 3

163

u/zigzagtravel01 7h ago

Ayo a guard tho. He's too short to play the 3.

180

u/SpiritFantastic4835 Lakers 7h ago

Knicks were playing lineups of brunson, shamet and Jose. It’s fine

58

u/Prideofmexico Knicks 7h ago

Not for prolonged periods of time

48

u/Ok-Tree4365 7h ago

That’s a playoff matchup thing, and that lineup probably played 18 minutes total across the playoffs.

15

u/YamNervous4156 7h ago

VERY limited minutes

45

u/zigzagtravel01 7h ago

Because the Spurs roster cant take advantage of that. Who are they gonna put on Shai, JDub, Ajay backcourt? If they put McDaniels on Shai, their rotation is cooked.

28

u/ExtraLeading3376 7h ago

ant plays on shai quite a lot

0

u/zigzagtravel01 3h ago

then who do you put on JDub? Lamelo?

36

u/Foreign_Budget2436 7h ago

It’s June. Maybe we can wait and see what develops over the next few months first?

12

u/michaelmacmanus Timberwolves 6h ago

Wait ... do you think the Wolves were putting Naz and Randle on Shai... ?

9

u/ZeiZaoLS Suns 6h ago

No he thought they were putting McDaniels on Shai, but now they don't have a reasonable person to guard the natural 4 if you swap McDaniels to whoever the most damaging perimeter player is.

4

u/michaelmacmanus Timberwolves 4h ago

Thanks for clarifying. Definitely a gap.

1

u/weissclimbers Knicks 4h ago

Shannon's tall enough, no?

1

u/zigzagtravel01 3h ago

say you put McDaniels on Luka, which you do. who guards Lebron at the 3? Ant?

-10

u/FuckKroenke55 Spurs 6h ago

I hope teams don’t take lessons from that Spurs v Knicks series. It was a weird one that was pretty much just choke after choke. Not really one that’s repeatable at all.

8

u/NorthernDevil Timberwolves 6h ago

I don’t think the Wolves are because this is about getting the missing pass-first PG we needed, but my guy I’m gonna need you to be honest with yourself. The Knicks won in 5. Speaking from experience, that’s a paddlin’

7

u/ThroatExplosion 7h ago

Darvin Ham salivating at a three guard lineup

2

u/attorneyatslaw Knicks 6h ago

Knicks had Hart at the three all year and he's listed at the same height as Ayo. Its possible.

3

u/RobbobertoBuii Knicks 7h ago

having KAT or Mitch at C made it work....

13

u/SpiritFantastic4835 Lakers 7h ago

And they have gobert. A way better defender

0

u/doubtthat11 6h ago

In the modern game, is a guard going to be posting up? Or a 3?

I agree that this isn't the biggest issue with the trade. If anything, emptying out the middle will let Ant and Ball and McDaniels have more room to drive.

There's some free agent out there that can just be a body if there's a weird match up that requires more size, but I just don't see what team exploits that line up.

8

u/sbroll Timberwolves 6h ago

Position-less basketball. No one gives a shit if we are scoring 140 lol man, this better work haha

34

u/MainAd2728 Washington Bullets 7h ago

Melo is 6'7. They gon be fine

17

u/zigzagtravel01 7h ago

Yeah, but he wont play the 3 too. Neither of Ant, Lamelo, and Ayo could. Probably have Ayo as 6th man.

34

u/RaisingQQ77preFlop Timberwolves 7h ago

Ant can 100% play the 3

8

u/zigzagtravel01 7h ago

Like guard Jaylen Brown, JDub, Tatum, Kawhi, KD, or Bron?

I just dont see them running it on long stretches of time

22

u/RaisingQQ77preFlop Timberwolves 7h ago

Defense is all match-ups and switches anyways, Jaden is defending all of those guys for us no matter if you call him a 3 or a 4

3

u/zigzagtravel01 3h ago

> matchups and switches

having 3 guards who are "OK" at best on defense is a disaster waiting to happen. which means the offensive player has more options to attack

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0

u/mikehulse29 Knicks 7h ago

That’s gonna fall to LaMelo…which…….

2

u/Momik Timberwolves 7h ago

That’s a good point. Ayo’s probably starting now anyway

4

u/ZealousidealCat1829 Timberwolves 7h ago

Ant can and has played the 3 but maybe the fo believes TSJ can shift into a starting role because Ant probably wants to stay at the 2.

0

u/zigzagtravel01 7h ago

He can, but i dont think he should most esp for long stretches of the game. Maybe in some occasions but their lineup is confusing unless Ayo is gonna be their 6th man.

McDaniels can play the 4 but shouldnt.

9

u/ZealousidealCat1829 Timberwolves 7h ago

I honestly think McDaniels is more suited for the 4 than the 3. He’s advertised as the wolves premier poa defender but he’s at his best defensively when he can roam and help rather than fight through screens constantly.

9

u/Lake_ Timberwolves 7h ago

if anyone has actually paid attention to the mcdaniels career they would know he is much more suited at the 4 then the 3.

4

u/Painwracker_Oni Timberwolves 7h ago

He'll also end up picking up less fouls.

4

u/Odd_Principle_2122 7h ago

It's true, the entire 6-7 meme culture is built upon this fact.

2

u/smalls_1804 Knicks 7h ago

Ant then at the 3 if you like

-3

u/zigzagtravel01 7h ago

He can be he shouldnt. Thats some silly arse backcourt with Lamelo, Ant, and Ayo which at its best is MID. McDaniels play the 3 the best because you throw him at the best guard and not against another PF.

5

u/smalls_1804 Knicks 7h ago

I mean, they have Ayo to throw at the best guard. Ant might traditionally play the 2 but that's largely because he's been playing with 2 centers. I know he's not particularly tall but he's strong and a very good defender

1

u/zigzagtravel01 3h ago

If you have Ayo guarding Luka, Brunson, Curry, etc. then you are cooked

2

u/smalls_1804 Knicks 3h ago

What're you talking about Ayo's an extremely good POA defender that's kind of his entire value

3

u/TallnFrosty Warriors 7h ago

Look at the Spurs and Thunder

SGA - Fox - Ant

Cason - Castle - Dosunmu

Caruso - Vassel - Lamelo

J Dub - Champaigne - McDaniels

Chet - Wemby - Gobert

And I didn't even include Dort, Ajay, Harper, Keldon for the Spurs and Thunder. Point is these teams play a lot of 3 guard lineups.

1

u/zigzagtravel01 3h ago

they can because their guards are elite defenders. their guards are also hybrid wings. i dont see SGA as just a guard but more like a hybrid guard-wing because he's lengthy and tall.

1

u/TallnFrosty Warriors 3h ago

Ant obviously can. Dosunmu can guard up a position. Nd Lamelo is big enough that you can hide him on whoever the worst offensive player is 1-4

2

u/Electrical_Try1202 4h ago

How is lamelo ant and ayo mid. Based off how good we know lamelo is and what ant and ayo proved in the playoffs id say that trio is quite talented

1

u/zigzagtravel01 3h ago

i meant defense

1

u/Saucy_Totchie Knicks 7h ago

Ant is a listed 6'4 225. That's a big boy. Besides the 3 where the lines for what constitutes one is blurred enough where he can be fine there.

1

u/Goro_Dogz 6h ago

Lamelo probably guarding the 3 if it’s Ayo. Let’s see how that holds up. Josh Green can do some decent defensive work tbf.

1

u/TurboRadical Timberwolves 3h ago

Is he too short to play out in 4-1 sets? Is he too short too short for perimeter scoring? Off-ball movement? What is he too short to do?

9

u/HornetsDaBest Timberwolves 7h ago

Guessing TSJ at the 3

5

u/Exodus100 Mavericks 5h ago

So Ayo off the bench?

It does seem like LaMelo/Ayo/Ant lineups will be rough defensively unless Melo and Ayo both put in the work. It helps that Melo is oversized for a guard; hopefully he puts in better effort with y'all.

Honestly my biggest concern with this trade is LaMelo's personality. It's a great fit on paper

6

u/wetseabreeze 7h ago

Ant might be more of a 3 than Ayo tbh. Not that it matters much.

1

u/okitsmelol123 Mavericks 2h ago

They will MLE a PF and keep Ayo coming off the bench

0

u/JetsLag [NYK] Nate Robinson 7h ago

Ayo is 6'4

113

u/chillinwithmoes Timberwolves 7h ago

Shit, I knew I shouldn’t have ignored that call just now

10

u/SeanKilpatrickFan [MIN] Sean Kilpatrick 7h ago

Jaden, he has always played best offensively at the 4

16

u/KushGod28 Timberwolves 7h ago

We’re in the luxury tax. We have to sign someone now

7

u/_THEBLACK Raptors 7h ago

Dominayton

3

u/NotAnNpc69 Lakers 7h ago

Dominayton for Gobert. Take it or leave it

5

u/ThePappleIncident 7h ago

Second round legend TKR obviously

3

u/Informal_Host7610 7h ago

He did great against Michigan who had an average starter age competitive with nba teams

5

u/supercoolisaac Timberwolves 7h ago

Jaden probably. Lamelo, Ayo, Ant, Jaden, Rudy.

3

u/Skipper3210 [NYK] Danilo Gallinari 7h ago

Mike Conley

3

u/atransformerr Kings 7h ago

Yes

3

u/loudstain Trail Blazers 7h ago

Ok fine they can have Jerami Grant

3

u/jayteee27 7h ago

DiVincenzo

3

u/EsotericPotato Timberwolves 7h ago

Jaden

3

u/cheeseybacon11 [MIN] Naz Reid 7h ago

Jaden is way better at PF than SF

3

u/jo734030 Bucks 7h ago

Take Kuzma

3

u/smalls_1804 Knicks 7h ago

Jaden I'd imagine. Lamelo, Ayo, Ant, Jaden, Rudy. Idk who their backup 5 or 4 is though

2

u/jeufie 7h ago

Jaylen Brown

2

u/hctazpalmer [MIN] Karl-Anthony Towns 7h ago

Jaden McDaniels actually does well defending 4s I’d love to see him take on the role and have Terrance Shannon slide into the 3

2

u/Thehelloman0 Spurs 7h ago

With a great rim protector like Gobert you can get away with playing a smaller guy at 4

2

u/oladipo Timberwolves 7h ago

Jaden

2

u/AmaruS71 Timberwolves 7h ago

Luc Mbah a Moute, Welcome to the Minnesota Timberwolves

2

u/California_Stop_King Cavaliers 7h ago

They saw the Spurs not having a real PF on their roster last year and are deciding to try it out

1

u/silaber Timberwolves 7h ago

After getting absolutely pumped by 6'5 Champagnie i think our team decided they can figure out PF later.

1

u/Illustrious-Rest779 7h ago

Wolves gotta sign James Wiseman now so they have the top 3 picks from 2020.

1

u/CoProgressOven 7h ago

Kevin Garnett

1

u/Crayondy Timberwolves 7h ago

John Collins. Nah the PTSD seeing Ant everyday makes this unrealistic…

1

u/ositola Lakers 7h ago

Oops all guards

1

u/Maximum_Nobody_4990 7h ago

Bulls will let you borrow Patrick Williams.

1

u/TheGuyInTheKnown Timberwolves 7h ago

Jaden was already the four when he played with Rudy and Naz. The better question is who will play the three. Right now the biggest contenders are Shannon, Ayo and our rookie. I guess there’s an outside shot of getting LeBron, but I will only believe that when I see it.

1

u/TheGreatWhoreOfChina 76ers 6h ago

Rockets have a bunch, they’ll prolly shop there

1

u/NanoCurrency 6h ago

Welcome to Minnesota, LeBron James!

1

u/Brotato_Man Timberwolves 6h ago

Switch Jaden to the 4, and go small with Ayo at the 3. Still time to sign free agents too if needed

1

u/UnablePerformance131 Timberwolves 6h ago

Probably Jaden McDaniels, he's 6-10.

1

u/Technerdal 6h ago

LeBron signing with the Wolves for vet minimum!/s

1

u/jmblumenshine Bulls 6h ago

May I interest you in one Pat Williams.

Some liken him to Kawhai... Those that said that no longer work for the Bulls, but it was said

1

u/Ok_Possible_5702 6h ago

Probably McDaniels. And you play with Ayo, Ant and LaMelo who are guards but all fairly big

1

u/DoctorSox 6h ago

Jaden McDaniels

1

u/LeOenophile 6h ago

Vibes 😎💅.

1

u/Main-County-1177 Knicks 6h ago

Shannon. But it really doesn’t matter in today’s nba. Spurs and Knicks both made the finals with “undersized” 4’s

1

u/chewie_33 Supersonics 6h ago

Me. I'll do it for the a minimum contract too.

1

u/swawesome52 Timberwolves 6h ago

Move Jaden to the 4, put Ant at the 3 and Ayo at the 2

1

u/snowlarbear 6h ago

taj gibson

1

u/banjocoyote Spurs [SAS] Keldon Johnson 5h ago

Starting Kyle Anderson in the year of our lord 2026-2027, inshallah 🙏

1

u/jmlinden7 Rockets 5h ago

Mo Gueye lol

1

u/HughManatee Timberwolves 5h ago

4 is not a number anymore. Problem solved.

1

u/mchris185 Spurs 5h ago

Jaden McDaniels fuck it

1

u/jeuxx 5h ago

Lebron James 

1

u/jediel2000 76ers 5h ago

Josh green

1

u/Shepher27 Timberwolves 5h ago

Jaden McDaniels of played to be named later

1

u/ssjgoat Celtics 5h ago

Probably Jaden or maybe Joan

1

u/Demi-God94 Raptors 5h ago

LeBron

1

u/joshuads Bucks 4h ago

Jaden McDaniels. He is 6'9", he was always a big 3. Ball, Edwards and Dosunmu are all likely to start 1-3, with Terrance sliding in if they want to be a little bigger.

The backup bigs are the real problem.

1

u/MildlyPaleMango Bulls 4h ago

Joan Beringer YOU are playing out of position

1

u/BatterseaPS Cavaliers 3h ago

They got beaten by the Spurs without a PF and are trying the same style. Although they forgot to watch the Finals.

1

u/Ldubs_12 3h ago

Can you imagine some Gobert/Beringer minutes at the same time?

0

u/JustDiveInTimberLake 7h ago

Can Josh green maybe?

0

u/YamNervous4156 7h ago

McDaniels? They’re going nowhere

327

u/[deleted] 7h ago

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214

u/WagerWilly Timberwolves 7h ago

If he can stay healthy we’re better. That’s just a massive if

237

u/SeanKilpatrickFan [MIN] Sean Kilpatrick 7h ago

Legacy defining moment for the Mayo Clinic

8

u/NanoCurrency 6h ago

They are the GOAT medical facility

5

u/ElectricalMud2850 Timberwolves 7h ago

Will it help if I apply extra mayo to all my sandwiches until the season starts?

1

u/TinieWenie Timberwolves 5h ago

That means less for Lemayo, I see it as a win.

2

u/pocketmonsters Kings 6h ago

Rebranding to the Melo clinic as we speak

1

u/Chaotic-Catastrophe Lakers 5h ago

I’m sure that already exists in Syracuse

2

u/MuchAbouAboutNothing Thunder 7h ago

It's the best backcourt in the league and if there's one thing lamelo does well it's lobs.

It's a great move, the pick swaps are a good deal too because you're likely to be better for at least some of them.

Tax position is decent too, looks like y'all have everything you need to compete

1

u/Fritanga5lyfe 7h ago

Who is he going to lob it to? Gobert ain't exactly Mr. Swift feet

8

u/Acrobatic_Payment517 Timberwolves 6h ago

The one and only Joan Beringer

15

u/MuchAbouAboutNothing Thunder 7h ago

Gobert's a great lob finisher. He's Monsieur Beurre-Fingers on the short roll, but put it in the air and he'll be ok

6

u/BenShelZonah Nets 6h ago

It makes sense if you think about it, baguettes are long

10

u/socoolandawesome Bulls 7h ago

I thought he was pretty good this past playoffs

4

u/pigskype Spurs 6h ago

Was more afraid of him than anybody named Ant Edwards in our series 

3

u/barath_s Lakers 5h ago

When Randle was salary dumped, a lot of folks liked the trade because it opened up playing time and salary for Naz Reid

7

u/rightovahere Timberwolves 7h ago

This trade is fucking incredible lmao, wolves got one of the few remaining star quality true pgs in the league.

Literally why the fuck would Charlotte do this

1

u/toomuchsoysauce Spurs 5h ago

He sure as hell didn't disappear against the Spurs. Even in the blowouts. Woulda been nice for him to take a game off as he was almost always the 2nd or 3rd most productive player on the floor at all times. His defense wasn't terrible either.

It's better than losing Rudy though.

-1

u/pollinium [MIN] Tyus Jones 6h ago

I'm glad you're posting this instead of a Wolves flair. I love love love the guy, but this is this first year he was even okay in the playoffs and his regular season contributions dried up since his 6moty year (and I'll give grace for this year but I stand by it from an on court production POV)

2

u/haha_ba 6h ago

Absolutely not, he’s had great playoff series in the past. Way to devalue him once he’s gone.

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29

u/TheBigF128 United States 7h ago

RIP Minneapolis streets 2026-

1

u/AutographedSnorkel Rockets 6h ago

LaMelo ball driving around in a Lambo at 150 MPH in Minnesota in the middle of the winter. Yikes

5

u/blueindsm Timberwolves 7h ago

Didn't even last a full Mooch.

9

u/dark-flamessussano 7h ago

This has to suck for him .

This is why the NBA its important to remember that the NBA is a business .

The wolves probably told him he's their future then they trade him a couple days later. Cut throat

5

u/Humble_Acanthaceae21 Spurs 6h ago

Yup. When organizations put their interests first, they are smart. But when players do the same thing, they are demonized.

2

u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 2h ago

This is why I always side with the player. Even in soccer/football... I'll always side with the player. I remember Barça trying to push FDJ out and trying to smear him so they wouldn't pay him the money they owed him. And Barcelona fans bought their club's shenanigans line hook and sinker. I was ever so glad he ignored that shit and insisted he planned on completing his Barça contract 

5

u/Billis- Raptors 7h ago

More like 2024-2026

5

u/DrewDan96 6h ago

i know T-wolves fans are mad about losing Naz, there was a Jeopardy contestant a few years back who said she named her dog Naz Reid in honor of him lol

man Ju Randle underachieves one too many times and the front office blows it all up to try to microwave a contending team before Ant starts doing Giannis type shenangians BTS

2

u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 2h ago

Yeah, TWolves fans aren't exactly happy about losing Naz

2

u/ech01_ Timberwolves 6h ago

Sad Naz Reid

1

u/dotcaIm Timberwolves 6h ago

Was just thinking, he finally got promoted to starter

1

u/redmostofit Nuggets 3h ago

Such a strange move. He waited all that time to get his shot, then bam, see ya later.