The Minnesota Timberwolves had the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, ultimately choosing Anthony Edwards over James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, a decision that was hotly debated at the time. Six years later, the Wolves are exploring the idea of uniting the No. 1 and No. 3 picks in the same backcourt.
After ESPN reported Wednesday night that the Charlotte Hornets were fielding offers for Ball, the Timberwolves were one of several teams to express interest in trading for the star point guard, team and league sources told The Athletic. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because discussions were still in the very early stages.
It should come as no surprise that Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has grand ambitions as he dives into the trade and free agency season.
Every time the Timberwolves show interest in a star, it must come with a caveat. Connelly is one of the most aggressive shoppers in the league. He chased Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo over the last two years. He paid a premium for Rudy Gobert four years ago. So the fact he is considering Ball should come as no surprise. This is what he does.
Whether it is Ball, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving or other high-profile names, Connelly is constantly exploring ways to upgrade Edwards’ supporting cast.
“You guys all know my boss, right? I think he’s getting the shakes, getting ready for free agency the last couple days here at the draft,” Wolves general manager Matt Lloyd joked about Connelly after the second round on Wednesday night.
That said, the Timberwolves have an acute need for a point guard, and Connelly and coach Chris Finch have long admired Ball’s game, believing his superior passing and volume 3-point shooting would be an ideal fit next to Edwards. The former Rookie of the Year is coming off one of his best seasons: After three years of injury issues, Ball played in 72 games for the Hornets, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 36.8 percent from 3-point range on just over 10 attempts per game.
Ball quarterbacked a high-flying Hornets offense that finished fifth in the league in efficiency and was ranked No. 1 after the calendar turned to 2026. Charlotte was 11.6 points per 100 possessions better on offense and had a plus-9.9 net rating with Ball on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.
With Mike Conley aging out of the starting lineup last season and now a free agent, the Wolves do not have a classic point guard on the roster. They used Edwards in that role for much of last season, to varying degrees of success. He averaged a career-high 28.8 points, but his 3.7 assists per game were his lowest since his rookie season, which should not have been the case with the ball in his hands more often.
The Wolves acquired Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline and just re-signed him to a five-year, $112 million contract. But Dosunmu is more of a combo guard than a true point guard. Donte DiVincenzo, the other starting guard last season, is expected to miss much of next season with a torn Achilles. Bones Hyland is also a free agent.
Ball would bring concerns as well. In the three seasons prior to last, Ball played in 105 of a possible 246 games because of injuries. He has also never played in a playoff game despite being in the weaker Eastern Conference, and he would be coming to a team with designs on returning to contender status in the West.
After the San Antonio Spurs eliminated the Wolves in the second round of the playoffs, a step back for Minnesota after consecutive trips to the Western Conference finals, Connelly and Finch talked about the need to add more playmaking and creation to the offense. When Connelly spoke to the media after the first round of the draft Tuesday night, he lamented the lack of pure point guards around the league.
“We’ve got to manufacture it,” Connelly said. “We have to ensure that we’re creating as many good shots as possible, specifically for Ant. And whether that’s on our present roster or whether it’s looking outside of our team, it’s something that we certainly have to address.”
Twenty-four hours later, Ball was suddenly available.
The Wolves are also armed with more flexibility than they have had in recent years to try to get a deal done. They have already traded Julius Randle and the 28th pick to the Brooklyn Nets for the 33rd pick, which they used to draft Duke sharpshooter Isaiah Evans on Wednesday night. The deal allowed the Wolves to offload Randle’s $33 million salary, dropping their payroll $31 million below the first apron and giving them much more room to operate.
The Randle trade is not expected to become official for several weeks because the Nets and Wolves have to work through other moves first to maximize their dealmaking abilities under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.
“We’ll always kind of invent a way to transact, even if, at times, on paper it doesn’t look as though we can,” Lloyd said. “Something will happen. I don’t know how. We’ll have mechanisms to utilize here in the next couple weeks, too.”
The Wolves could expand the Randle trade to include the Hornets as a way to facilitate a deal for Ball by making salary-matching easier. Or they could try to work directly with Charlotte if the Hornets covet other pieces, which is likely, given they would not just want to give away Ball without receiving something of value in return.
The Athletic has reported that the Wolves would not make Jaden McDaniels available in trade talks for Antetokounmpo. That has not changed in any anticipated discussions with the Hornets about Ball.
The Stein Line reported that the Toronto Raptors are among the other suitors who have expressed interest in Ball.
