Friday evening the Charlotte Hornets confirmed the report from ESPN's Shams Charania that star point guard LaMelo Ball will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. He will undergo arthroscopic surgery to address a right ankle impingement as well as have a minor procedure on his right wrist and is expected to make a full recovery and have a normal off-season, according to the team.
It's usually not a good thing when your star player goes down, but in this case (with the Hornets already eliminated from the playoffs), they stand to gain more from losing games and improving their chances at drafting Duke's Cooper Flagg in June. Ball did set a career high in scoring this season at 25.2 points per game, and these procedures seem minor, but injuries have been a major part of his career.
Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the season as he undergoes two minor procedures to address ankle and wrist issues, sources tell ESPN. Ball showed toughness, playing through pain in recent weeks, before he and team consulted doctors on best course forward. pic.twitter.com/PrpWrjaXuW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 28, 2025
This year will be the 3rd straight year where he played less than 50 games and was shut down for the season, and in his career he's played in only 58% of Hornets games. It's fair to argue that if they were contending, he likely would have played north of 60 games this season, so it goes down as one of Ball's healthier campaigns, but if the Hornets have long term concerns about his ability to stay on the court, this summer might be the time to listen to trade offers.
Charlotte Hornets G League squad makes first ever playoff appearance
Ball will be 24 years old in August and is signed for 4 more years, he won't be a free agent until 2029. There's no doubting his unbelievable talent and impact on and off the court. Perhaps he's more valuable to the Hornets, who like the Panthers have struggled to lure big stars to Charlotte, but you'd have to think GM Jeff Peterson will at least consider where Ball's value lies and the potential return.
Charlotte Hornets revolutionize training with new Novant Health Performance Center
As for the value- Bill Simmons had him ranked at #43 in his popular NBA Trade Value series update on Thursday, listed in the humerous tier "If You Tell Shams, I'll Deny It to the Death … but I Am Absolutely, Unequivocally, 100% Listening." Will the Hornets be listening? It might depend on what happens with the draft lottery announcement on May 12. Landing the #1 pick and Cooper Flagg might give Peterson the piece he's missing to end the NBA's longest playoff drought, or give the Hornets a chance to go in a new direction and build around a different star.
Related: Charlotte Hornets looking for much-needed luck as NBA Draft nears
Related: Social media reacts to LaMelo Ball out for season
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 12:01 PM.