Mar 12, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after making a three point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

Buy or sell: LaMelo Ball will be with Hornets beyond current deal

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated May 7, 2025 8:53 AM ET

Though rumors swirl, LaMelo Ball is not likely to be traded. By his own admission, he wants to stay and build in Charlotte, so a request isn't coming. Based on how the front office has talked this year and this offseason, the Charlotte Hornets aren't poised to blindside him, either.

He is on a max extension, but that will end someday. His contract expires in 2029, so if he's not traded by then, the Hornets will have a big decision. Is he going to stick around beyond then? Do the Hornets want him beyond then?

This is truly dependent on a laundry list of factors. Will the Hornets sniff the playoffs by then? Will Ball shed the injury-prone label? Will he have a competent roster around him? Those all matter and will go a long way towards determining his future. But this is something I buy.

The current front office is very future-oriented. They drafted Tidjane Salaun, a 19-year-old project, last year. They tried to trade Mark Williams for a rookie Dalton Knecht and a 2031 first-round pick. They're all about the long-term, but they're still not all about trading Ball.

Ball would be eligible for a much bigger contract with the Hornets, so he has every financial incentive to stick it out and re-sign after this current deal ends. The onus, then, is on the team. They'll be the ones who determine his fate, but I don't think they'll be itching to move on.

Ball may not be the greatest Hornet ever; that honor still goes to Kemba Walker, but he is perhaps the most talented. The Hornets have a genuine league-wide star, someone recognizable and supremely marketable. They haven't really had that in a very long time, and he also happens to be a player who can average 25, 7, and 5. That's not someone an NBA team is quick to move off of.

Things can change in 2029, but one would have to believe that the Hornets will improve by then. Ball is still only 23, so he can and probably will get better. So will Brandon Miller. So will whatever prospect, from Cooper Flagg to Tre Johnson. Those are three key pieces that are going to get better, and they don't even include Williams. The makings of a decent team are right there, and assuming things don't go horribly wrong, Ball is set up to be a lifelong Hornet potentially.