The Charlotte Hornets are calling it quits. LaMelo Ball is being shut down for the rest of the season in order to get two minor procedures. Ball will get an arthroscopic surgery for a right ankle impingement and a separate procedure on his right wrist. Neither procedure or injury seems major. However, this adds to the long list of health issues that Ball has dealt with in his already short career. With LaMelo out for the season, an interesting scenario confronts the Hornets. Do they continue to build around a player who can’t seem to stay on the floor and hasn’t brought them much success when he does play? Or should they look into a LaMelo Ball trade to reset their franchise and build around someone else?
Should The Hornets Trade LaMelo Ball?
Multiple Injuries Take LaMelo Out For The Season
It was announced Friday that NBA fans won’t get to see any more of LaMelo Ball this season. The team is choosing to address two of his minor injuries now. They are hoping to improve their position in the 2025 NBA Draft and make sure Ball is healthy to start next season.
Ball has dealt with ankle injuries throughout his short career. He missed significant time in each of the past three years. In 2023, he underwent surgery on his right ankle, and for the second consecutive season, the Hornets have decided to shut him down early. Before the decision was made, Ball had been playing through discomfort. After consultation with team doctors and outside specialists, it was determined that surgery would be the best course of action to ensure a full recovery and a productive offseason.
LaMelo Ball’s Injury History is a Red Flag
As amazing as Ball is when he plays, his injury history is starting to look worrisome. In his first five seasons, he has played only 231 games, averaging only 46 games a season. For a franchise cornerstone, this is unacceptable. No team is going to have success with its best player only playing around half of its games.
What is most concerning, however, is that Ball hasn’t played more than 50 games in a season for three straight years. The Hornets need to take a look in the mirror this offseason. They must determine if offloading Ball before he tanks another one of their seasons is worth giving up on his tantalizing upside.
A LaMelo May Be the Best Option
If the Hornets were only losing games when Ball was injured, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, the numbers tell a very different story. The Hornets are a concerning 98-133 when Ball plays. A 42.4 winning percentage is just not worth standing pat for.
For the Hornets, it might be time to cut ties with their franchise star. Despite being the franchise’s first All-Star since Kemba Walker, if the Hornets want to turn around the trajectory of their franchise, they need to trade LaMelo Ball.
Trading your best player is easier said than done. That being said, it is obvious that what the Hornets have been doing since drafting Ball five years ago simply isn’t working. Now, with Ball out for the season, they have an opportunity to look within their organization and see if they need to make a bold decision to turn things around.
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