Should The Charlotte Hornets Trade LaMelo Ball?

Earlier this week a report from Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports dropped, and it alluded to their being some potential for a Lamelo Ball trade this season. Ball has since come out and refuted the reports, stating that he is happy in Charlotte, but this wouldn’t be the first time a team has traded away a player who wants to stay. With Charlotte not having earned a playoff berth once during Ball’s tenure, it may be time for the franchise to pivot, and allow Ball to use his talents on a team with some real direction.

Ball is only 24 years old and he is one of the best passers in the NBA, and one of the best guards in the NBA as well. He has averaged 7.5 assists per game over his career and he is currently averaging 9.6 assists per game this year. Ball is not the most efficient scorer, but it is clear that he is a scoring threat with the ball in his hands, especially as an outside shooter. When healthy, Ball has shown that he is a player who can uplift his teammates as a passer while also putting pressure on defenses as a pick n’roll ball handler and as a shooter as well.

One of the issues with Ball is that his health since his second season has been worrisome. After playing a career-high 75 games in his sophomore season, Ball has not played over 50 games in any season after. We have evidence that when Ball is healthy, he can impact winning in a positive way.

Detroit Pistons Fit

With all these things being said, Ball is still a player whose talent and skillset could help many teams immensely. The Detroit Pistons in particular are a team that could benefit from trading for Ball. Detroit sits atop the eastern conference currently, with a record of 13-2 they have dominated the conference thus far. Although things have been going well in the motor city, structurally they could definitely benefit from some more perimeter creation. Cade Cunningham is having another magnificent season, but he is Detroit’s only perimeter advantage creator. Detroit also has some young players that might entice Charlotte in a trade such as Jaden Ivey, and Ron Holland as well as owning all their future picks. Ball would provide some much needed creation from a source that is not Cunningham, and his addition to Detroit could take them to the next level.

Cunningham and Ball may be a funky fit together, but their skill sets in lineups where one of them are on the bench would be huge for Detroit. To be able to stagger two elite playmakers is a benefit to the entire team, and it takes some pressure off of both of them. Jalen Duren is in the midst of the best season of his young career posting averages of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Although this increase in scoring has come from plenty of on-ball reps from Duren, he is still a fantastic screener and roller and would be a seamless fit with Ball.

Detroit is in the top half of pick n’ roll frequency in the league, which plays into Ball’s strengths as well, and they have a higher transition frequency than Charlotte, which can also give Ball more opportunities to show off his passing skillset. A natural question with a Ball trade to Detroit would be how would they fare defensively. Ball is by no means a good defender, but Detroit would have enough athleticism and sound team defenders around him that could insulate him on the defensive end. Ausar Thompson could take on the opposing team’s best perimeter player, and with Duren on the back end and Tobias Harris on the wings, Ball could be sufficiently protected on defense.

Ball and Cunningham are two high usage guards, and it is fair to question their fit together, but with Ball’s shooting talent and previous willingness to be off the ball, there is hope that these two could mesh together given time.

It’s not an assurance that Charlotte will even move Ball anytime soon, but if the reports are true and they are looking to move on, then the Detroit Pistons should be one of, if not the first team on the phone for his services.