Kon Knueppel admitted being stunned by the Charlotte Hornets' decision to trade LaMelo Ball this offseason.
Like anybody else in the NBA, Kon Knueppel is simply shocked by the departure of LaMelo Ball after the Charlotte Hornets' unexpected trade decision in this year's offseason.
LaMelo Ball
Position PG
Age 24
Height 203 cm
Weight 82 kg
Birth place California, United States of America
Addressing the stunning trade of the franchise guard, the Hornets rising star admitted that Ball will be sorely missed within Charlotte.
"Definitely a shock," Knueppel said on Milwaukee Uncut. "Mel's a great dude. I love him. He was awesome."
"He was great to be around every day. That's already missed, just the joy and energy that he brought to the locker room. ... He's loud, but he comes in every day and says hello to everybody. I mean like trainer, strength coach, assistant coach, whoever's cooking the food in the meal room. So it's just cool to have people like that around."
Kon Knueppel gets honest on Hornets LaMelo Ball trade
The Charlotte Hornets dealt LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a four-team blockbuster deal that also involved the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls.
In return, the Hornets obtained Wolves big man Naz Reid and a bunch of draft assets.
Ball hammered a great relationship with Knueppel both on and off the court and played a pivotal role as the driving force of the former Duke sensation's special rookie season.
As the team's electrifying tandem, Ball and Knueppel helped Charlotte secure a dramatic late-season surge, a 44-win campaign and be just one win away from reaching the NBA Playoffs.
In the end, despite the unforeseen trade development, Knueppel hopes nothing but the best for Ball and in his new chapter in Minnesota.
"He's great. Definitely tough, and one of the guys that embraced me as a rookie. This is all I know, playing with him and being around him. So it's just different day-to-day walking in the room," Knueppel added.
"But he's awesome. We wish him all the success in the world, and we'll stay in contact. He's a good dude. But yeah, definitely tough."
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