While the Timberwolves‘ trade agreement to acquire LaMelo Ball was panned by some NBA experts and analysts, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that members of the organization were celebrating after they struck a deal with Charlotte on Thursday.
As Krawczynski details, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has “long admired” Ball’s game, and the front office was focused this offseason on finding a player who could take some pressure off Edwards after the guard was frequently double-teamed as he crossed half-court during the second-round playoff series vs. San Antonio.
The Wolves view Ball – who can initiate offense, has good positional size, and is a solid high-volume three-point shooter – as an ideal fit for their timeline and for their on-court personnel, with a team source referring to him as the sort of player that Minnesota was missing who can “make everybody better.”
“He makes Ant better, Jaden (McDaniels) better, Rudy (Gobert) and Joan (Beringer) better,” one team source told Krawczynski. “How many other players in the league would make your three best players better without getting in their way?”
While Ball has faced questions related to his maturity, the Timberwolves are optimistic that won’t be an issue in their building, according to Krawczynski, who says the team is confident that its culture “built on defense and competitiveness” will be a good influence on the 24-year-old.
We have more on the Timberwolves:
- As Krawczynski details, Minnesota only has two players on its roster – Gobert and Donte DiVincenzo – who are older than 26 years old, and Ball, Edwards, and McDaniels are all under contract for the next three seasons, giving the club confidence in its long-term outlook. “Our roster is stacked for the next three years,” a team source told The Athletic. “And probably longer.”
- Within his examination of the Ball trade, John Hollinger of The Athletic provides some additional information on the pick swaps involved in the deal, which we explored on Thursday. According to Hollinger, the top-one protection that the Wolves previously put on their 2030 first-round pick when they traded swap rights to San Antonio won’t be in effect for the Hornets, who would have the ability to swap with Minnesota if that pick is No. 1 overall. Otherwise, the Spurs’ swap rights will take precedence over Charlotte’s for that 2030 first-rounder.
- Having parted with Julius Randle and Naz Reid in the past week, Minnesota is looking into a number of options in an effort to upgrade the power forward spot, league sources tell Krawczynski. Krawczynski adds that the club also wants to add more shooting to supplement Ball and Edwards.
- In a story for the Minnesota Star Tribune, Chris Hine says farewell to Reid, who became a wildly popular – and productive – Timberwolf after initially joining the team on a two-way deal as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
