Despite some optimism entering the NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets are once again one of the worst teams in the league. Charlotte hasn't reached the postseason since the 2015-16 season and it could now impact their future.
The Hornets did make the Play-In tournament twice with Ball but they fell short of reaching the top-eight postseason. It seems that the lack of success on the court has now caught up to them.
Star point guard LaMelo Ball seems to be getting frustrated with the lack of winning the team has done and it could see him ask out this summer. According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, Ball badly wants to win and his future with the Hornets is in doubt.
"I touched on this with some of the other guys, and some executives around the league are looking at it too. If you were willing to part with Mark Williams—who's 23 and pretty good, though he has some injury concerns—the next logical thing would be to also look at LaMelo Ball. He's on a max contract, and they're not winning, obviously, for the foreseeable future."
"For LaMelo, he wants to win. This is now going to be his fifth season. How much longer does he see himself there? That's what I've been told. And I'll say this, Matt—at the end of the day, I also think not being an All-Star and not winning affected him. He had the numbers on paper, but Charlotte's record hurt his chances. From what I've been told, he wants to win competitively."
The Hornets currently own a record of 14-47, sitting in 14th place within the Eastern Conference standings. Charlotte is also riding an eight-game losing streak and it has plummeted them down the standings.
Ball has played like an All-Star this season but didn't earn a spot on the All-Star team. This could be due to the amount of talent in the East but also his being on the Hornets hurts his stock around the league.
For the season, Ball has averaged 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. The guard has also shot 40.8 percent from the field this year as well.
If Ball were to ask out of Charlotte, other teams would jump at the chance to land him. Ball is still just 23 years old and has plenty of time to continue growing his overall game.
The NBA offseason never lacks drama and we could see Ball be on the move this summer.
More NBA news:
Mavericks Star Anthony Davis Could Now Miss Rest of Season Following Kyrie Irving Injury
Warriors Listed as Potential Trade Destination For 76ers' Joel Embiid This Offseason
For more NBA news and rumors, head on over toNewsweek Sports.
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This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 3:24 PM.