The Minnesota Timberwolves eventually gave up two starters and a plethora of draft picks to trade for LaMelo Ball. Anthony Edwards has been a long-time admirer of his new teammate since they were part of the same 2020 NBA Draft, with Edwards going No. 1 and Ball at No. 3. In fact, they are bonding closely, and Ant-Man even jokingly revealed their antics that they need to control.

“We have actually been at the house the last two days,” said Edwards at the Fanatics Fan Fest on Friday. “So yeah, I’m rushing back to Minnesota so we can kick it a little more. Cuz I think a lot of people misjudge the NBA, like it’s just like AAU. The closer you and your team are, the more chance y’all got to win the championships.”

First, the Wolves traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. Then they traded Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round draft pick, three future first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks to get Ball. The new backcourt has a problem of picking up fines for using profanity language and that’s what the duo want to change.

“You mentioned the postgame interview. We already was talking about it like, ‘Bro, we got to cut our cussing back, you know, be a little more professional.’ So, we trying to get it together before they get on us.”

It’s understandable why Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball need to work on their professional mic skills. The NBA has repeatedly fined Ant-Man and Ball for using profane language, especially in postgame interviews and media availability.

For Edwards, the numbers are hundreds of thousands in total penalties over recent seasons. The amount exceeded $420K in the 2024-25 season alone.

For Ball, he has earned a reputation for unfiltered, casual postgame comments (including past casual profanity). Recently, he was issued a $25,000 fine (April 2026) for using profane language during a live postgame television interview.

Clearly, the new Wolves guard, along with Anthony Edwards, is working to reduce cussing in interviews as the new era in Minnesota kicks off.

Speaking for the first time since the trade, LaMelo Ball expressed his excitement at getting to team up with Anthony Edwards.

“I’ve known Ant for a minute, we’ve been talking,” Ball said during his introductory press conference. “Everybody’s excited and we’re ready to get to work.”

Even the President of Basketball Operations is looking for the new backcourt to take over. Tim Connelly added that Ball will “elevate” the Timberwolves, and that’s why they paid a steep price for the trade.

In fact, the Wolves are already looking to lock Anthony Edwards for the future.

“The idea is to get Anthony Edwards a year from now to put pen to paper on another monster extension,” Minnesota insider Darren Wolfson reported. ” The idea is to elevate Ant’s game, get him to be All-NBA once again, then he can maximize his earning potential. The Wolves want Anthony Edwards a year from now to sign that monster extension. LaMelo Ball, the thought is, is going to help elevate Anthony Edwards that much more.”

So, Edwards and Ball are already bonding. The front office is already excited and ready to build for the future and lock down their franchise cornerstone for a max extension.