“At the beginning of the season, I kind of quarreled with you guys because I was so, I was very high on LaMelo, and I’ve hated watching him this year well, and I tell you, I’m curious to see what happens in the future with him” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst back in March 2025. The Charlotte Hornets once again failed to leave a memorable mark in the regular season, ending up below the 10th seed on the Eastern Conference chart for the 3rd year in a row. With new leadership at the majority ownership, front office, and the head coaching spot, the blame for the streak naturally went to Ball, under whose leadership the Hornets are yet to make the playoffs. And it seems now, his leadership and presence might have convinced a potential new player from even attempting to woo the team’s front office.

According to ‘Carolina Sports Live’ reporter Mike Lacett, an anonymous source told him recently that at least one draft lottery pick refused to work out with the Hornets. The reason for doing so, it was revealed, was out of a desire not to play with LaMelo Ball. Yikes!

The identity of this player is yet to be revealed by any reliable news sources. However, two of the players who can potentially be that person are Adou Thiero and Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Both Thiero and Niederhauser are predicted to be the 33rd and 34th picks, respectively, and the Hornets hold both options. If any one of them refused to prove themselves in front of the Hornets front office, then the news won’t be hidden for long.

Though the situation is unusual, one can understand where that unknown player’s mindset would have been coming from.

After all, if you want to kick off your NBA career well, doing it with a team that last secured a 19-63 win record isn’t the way to do so. As for LaMelo Ball, the player averaged 25.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 47 games last season. However, he also shot only 8.6-21.3 (40.5%) field goals, 3.8-11.2 (33.9%) 3-pointers, and 4.1-4.9 (84.3%) free throws. As NBA reporter Zach Roberts also highlighted, the narrative around LaMelo Ball is that he’s an inefficient shot-chucker. As a result, the NBA media reportedly believes the 23-year-old will “never” be the best player on a winning team since he doesn’t play “winning basketball.”

The Charlotte Hornets might bring about some confidence in their team if rumors had linked them to acquiring a star veteran. Unfortunately, no such rumors have popped up in recent days. Therefore, no one can blame the draft lottery player for even refusing to train with the team, and LaMelo Ball.

It would be hilarious if that unknown player got drafted to another team, only to have LaMelo Ball become a part of that roster too! After all, if reports are to be believed, then the 23-year-old might be on his way to another franchise.

Will LaMelo Ball be traded to the Orlando Magic or the Portland Trail Blazers?

During the Charlotte Hornets’ exit interview, LaMelo Ball confidently stated, “I know what I can do. Just being here, I loved it, the fans are amazing, the living situation has been amazing, everything has been solid, so all that ‘you need to leave’ and this and that…when you build something its never just gonna pop off and be the best thing, you gotta stay here, work it out, do what you gonna do, see what happens”. While this makes it clear that the player has no desire to be traded, anything can happen in the NBA. Especially if the player could get more success with an actual championship/playoff-contending team. Therefore, Ball has not been left off the speculation talk.

Last week, Bleacher Report journalist Grant Hughes listed one ambitious trade target for every NBA Team. LaMelo Ball was listed for both the Orlando Magic and the Portland Trail Blazers. As Hughes highlighted, the Orlando Magic is probably just one offensive star away from contention in the wide-open East. LaMelo Ball might not be an efficient scorer, but he has experience recording high scores. Furthermore, according to reports, Ball’s presence on the court last year increased the Hornets’ field-goal percentage by 4.9 percent and added 11.4 points per 100 possessions to the team’s offensive rating. Alongside Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, with Jalen Suggs handling defense on the backcourt, Ball’s offensive prowess will only increase.

As for the Portland Trail Blazers, Ball can run a dynamic transition attack with Shaedon Sharpe. On the defense, he can get support from Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and backline stalwart Donovan Clingan. However, Ball’s focus would be more required on the offense, since Portland ranked 4th in the NBA in terms of defense after the All-Star break, but the offense was just at 20th.

Getting LaMelo Ball won’t be easy, though. The Orlando Magic front office might have to package Jonathan Isaac and Cole Anthony with the 16th pick in the upcoming draft. Meanwhile, according to Zach Roberts, a swap between Ball and DeAndre Ayton is possible, as the salaries of both players are close to similar. On top of that, Ayton’s contract is expiring. The Blazers can also add the 11th pick in 2025 and two future firsts to make the deal sweeter.

We don’t know what the future holds for LaMelo Ball. However, if a draft lottery pick refuses to practice with the Hornets because of him, it is a sign that the player might have to start building up his career elsewhere. If he does, then it will be interesting to see where he heads next.