Constant injuries and inefficient shooting often become the critical flaws in LaMelo Ball’s game. Another injury this season has limited his minutes and appearances. But do the Charlotte Hornets have an ulterior motive to do so? Former champion with the Celtics, Kendrick Perkins, thinks so and even had sources to back it.

“The Hornets need to trade LaMelo Ball. Real talk, this team, if you watch this Hornets team play, Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, this is their squad now. LaMelo Ball needs to ask for a trade.”

Later, he gave his phone to Road Trippin podcast host Allie Clifton to read out the message from his source. “Yeah, they on this s—. ‘Let’s play Melo about 25 to 28 minutes a game. So, his numbers won’t be high.’ So, if they trade him, they won’t be trading a two-time all-star. They will be trading a player whose numbers went down. ”

Perkins concluded with, “The relationship has run its course over there as well.” With the Hornets occupying the 12th spot in the East (13-23), and even began the season with a 7-game losing streak. Despite LaMelo Ball being the leader of the team, he finds himself third on the scoring list and fourth on minutes per game (28.1).

This is the only season, apart from his rookie season, that he has averaged less than 20 points. In fact, last season he had a career high average of 25.2 points. The caution about the 2021 ROTY also comes from his continuous injury problem. Last time LaMelo Ball played more than 50 games was during the 2021-22 season (75). That could be the reason for his reduced minutes this season. But their head coach is not so keen to trade away the 2x All-Star.

In November, Charles Lee put water on trade claims. “Yeah, that three-headed monster, I think, is going to be a staple for a really long time. All three of those guys have a very bright future and also are very good players right now.” He made it clear that there is a future for the trio of Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel.

The Hornets are scoring 125.9 points per 100 possessions when the three share the court. This only backs the coach’s statement. When asked about his relationship with Ball, Lee once again was very clear. “Our relationship, our ability to have communication between myself, Melo and Jeff [Peterson, the team’s president of basketball operations], it’s really hot. And I think that he’s always communicated to us.”

LaMelo Ball trade talks have obstacles

He often finds himself on “most overrated” lists. This time, it was Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley’s list with a major callout for his efficiency and ability to win. Those statements were backed with facts, as LaMelo Ball has only helped his team by 1.5 points per 100 possessions for his career. Plus, his career average in accuracy remains 36.5 percent due to his wildly ambitious shot selection.

Adding more fuel, one Western Conference scout said LaMelo Ball “doesn’t take basketball seriously enough,” per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Insider Jake Fischer shared a similar sentiment as “prominent cap person” called the Hornets star “the most unserious player in the NBA.” He does massively help, especially on the offensive end of things. His vision, playmaking, and creativity set him apart on this roster.

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But even in his absence, the Hornets seemed to have found Miller and Knueppel as the next franchise cornerstones. Now, it remains to be seen if the franchise takes any action, or does Ball initiates the conversation after hearing Kevin Perkins’s sources.