The Lonzo Ball trade has been a swing and a miss for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After winning 64 games a year ago, Cleveland determined that it needed to both improve its point-of-attack defense and find a bench ball-handler to replace departing free agent Ty Jerome. It hoped to address both needs in one move with Ball. But after a resurgent season in Chicago last year, he’s struggled mightily for the Cavaliers.
Now the Cavaliers have seemingly replaced him in their rotation with Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder. They are around $14 million above the second-apron line, and are seemingly motivated to get below it in order to both save money on their payroll this year and ensure that their 2033 first-round pick is not frozen moving forward. In other words, the Cavaliers would probably love to dump Ball and his $10 million salary. We fortunately have a very capable and sympathetic dumping ground seemingly waiting in the wings.
The Charlotte Hornets have $14.4 million in room below the luxury-tax line, giving them plenty of space to absorb money before the 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline on Thursday. They have a full roster of 15 players, but could easily waive someone deep on their bench if need be. They have their full $14.1 million mid-level exception at their disposal, which they could use to absorb a contract of Ball’s size. Oh yeah, and they employ his younger brother, star guard LaMelo Ball, one of the faces of their resurgence this season.
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All of this lines up quite nicely, and according to Jake Fischer, the Cavaliers and Hornets have indeed held preliminary conversations about a Ball trade that would help Cleveland get below the second apron before Thursday’s deadline.
While such a move would mostly be a financially motivated trade with perhaps some minor draft capital attached, the deal would have broader implications in Charlotte. Earlier this season, there were rumors that LaMelo Ball and the Hornets may be headed for a split. By trading for Ball’s brother, the Hornets would be signifying their renewed commitment to LaMelo as they’ve gone from cellar dweller to legitimate postseason sleeper. The Hornets are the hottest team in the NBA as the deadline hits. They’re still five games below .500 (23-28), but they’ve won seven games in a row and are now just one game back of the Hawks for the East’s final play-in spot.
The bigger question here, though, is if the Hornets would fulfill LaVar Ball’s dream of seeing all three of his sons, including LiAngelo Ball, play on the same NBA team. It’s something he’s talked about quite a bit:
- In 2017, LaVar Ball pushed for all three seasons to play together on the Lakers, right after they drafted Lonzo No. 2 overall. “The chemistry they have, you’ve seen it already. That’s why I see that far ahead: All three of my boys on the Lakers at the same time,” Ball said. “Put them together and watch what they do. It’ll be magic.”
- In 2018, LaVar laid out a plan for his three sons to unite in free agency, rather than with the Lakers. “I want all three boys to play for the Lakers,” LaVar told Donatas Urbonas, a Lithuanian journalist. “But if that does not happen, I’m telling you the story what’s gonna happen first. If they don’t take Gelo this year, I bring back Gelo here to play with Melo for two years. Lonzo will be on his third year, and I let every NBA team know that Lonzo is not going to re-sign with the Lakers but will go to any team that will take all of my three boys. That’s my plan.”
- In 2020, Ball guaranteed a championship if his three sons played together for the Hornets after they drafted LaMelo. “Get all three of them, I guarantee they win a championship. Folks don’t understand that.”
So, the $10 million question here: would the Hornets sign LiAngelo, unite all three brothers and fulfil LaVar’s prophecy? Sadly, that is probably unlikely. While LiAngelo has played 31 games for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G-League affiliate, he retired from basketball last August to focus on his music career after the success of his song “Tweaker.” The last professional game he played came in spring of 2024, for Astros de Jalisco in Mexico. In other words, his playing days are likely over. But hey, two out of the three ain’t bad.
