The Minnesota Timberwolves have just gambled their entire future on Anthony Edwards – and the price was eye-watering.
In a trade that has stunned the NBA world, Minnesota has sent Naz Reid, three first-round pick swaps, three second-round picks and a 2033 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green.
The timing makes the move even more staggering. Just days earlier, the Timberwolves shipped Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets and received nothing but cap space in return. Now they have turned around and handed over a king's ransom for one of the league's most electric young guards.
A Trade Nobody Saw Coming
Reports of a possible Ball trade only emerged the night before the deal was struck, and within hours it was confirmed ahead of the start of free agency.
The Hornets had been fielding aggressive offers from multiple teams, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, with talks accelerating rapidly.
BREAKING: The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033), sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lkhXBWHCrA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026
Minnesota moved quickest and most decisively.
Anthony Edwards now has a genuine offensive partner rather than the role players the Timberwolves had previously surrounded him with. This is a clear statement of intent. Minnesota is no longer building a team around Edwards; it is building a partnership.
Reaction Split Down The Middle
The trade has instantly divided opinion.
'That's... not a lot to give up. LaMelo and Ant is going to be an interesting chemistry experiment,' said Dan Wolken of Yahoo Sports.
That’s… not a lot to give up. LaMelo and Ant is going to be an interesting chemistry experiment https://t.co/NSXSMfotYG
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 25, 2026
'Woahhhh,' was the simple reaction from Kenny Beecham, CEO of Enjoy Basketball.
Woahhhh https://t.co/ElbNkKzE36
— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) June 25, 2026
Fans were just as torn.
'You just traded one of the most exciting young guards in the league for a good role player and picks that won't matter for a decade,' wrote one frustrated fan.
charlotte getting naz reid and a bunch of future picks for lamelo is an awful return, you just traded one of the most exciting young guards in the league for a good role player and picks that won't matter for a decade
— Sanzo 🎬 (@SanzoFilm) June 25, 2026
Another summed up the conflicted mood: 'The Timberwolves just got significantly better, but damn, that's a lot to give up.'
Then came the Randle factor.
As one fan put it: 'People were just flaming the Wolves for letting Randle go.'
People were just flaming the wolves for letting Randle go pic.twitter.com/5icGN18GYZ
— EmoDoge (@EmoDoge100) June 25, 2026
Now those same fans are watching Minnesota immediately reinvest in a far bigger move days later, having moved on from two key contributors in the space of a single week.
Why Ball Was Available
The 24-year-old was coming off arguably his best season in Charlotte, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 36.8 per cent from three-point range across 72 games – his healthiest campaign since 2021-22.
The Hornets surged from 19 wins to 44, narrowly missing the play-offs.
It was not all smooth sailing.
Ball was fined $35,000 for 'reckless contact' with Miami's Bam Adebayo during the Hornets' play-in victory after swiping at the centre's foot and injuring his back. He later apologised.
A further $25,000 fine followed for swearing during a post-match television interview.
He had three years remaining on his contract and was eligible to sign a two-year, $119.2 million extension on 6 July.
Both sides had appeared to be in a good place, with Ball even speaking about title ambitions beyond simply reaching the play-offs.
'It's definitely what you want,' he said in March. 'But it's not what I'm satisfied with. We try to win some championships for sure.'
Despite that, with an expensive extension just days away from becoming available, the Hornets opted to cash out now, taking a guaranteed haul of draft assets and immediate frontcourt help from Reid rather than risking a long-term commitment to Ball.
The Gamble Minnesota Is Taking
The Timberwolves have handed over their bench and a huge chunk of their draft future for the chance to pair Edwards with one of basketball's most electric guards – two players who have never shared a backcourt.
Minnesota's projected starting five now features Ball, Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, with a thin bench behind them.
Charlotte, meanwhile, rebuilds around Reid and is expected to hand the backcourt to Coby White alongside Knueppel, Miller and Miles Bridges.
It caps an extraordinary week in which Minnesota cut ties with Randle and Reid in quick succession, betting everything on one unproven partnership instead.
Whether that gamble pays off will not be clear for years. For now, one thing is certain: the Timberwolves have gone all in.
