That is one in every of the riskiest trades I’ve seen in a very long time. Frustrations had appeared to be constructing round Anthony Edwards, and he was doubtlessly searching for a manner out of Minnesota. Unwilling to lose their franchise star, the Timberwolves chased in on their greatest commerce journey in Reid, and gave Edwards his backcourt accomplice in his profession.
Edwards and Ball have been two of the finest gamers in the 2020 class and can lead a Minnesota crew that might have the finest offense in the league. In fact, Ball could be a difficult man to play with. He’s an extremely ball-dominant guard who struggles on the defensive finish, and his shot choice can get him into hassle.
The Wolves will want him to purchase into their crew protection, which they’ve change into accustomed to throughout the Edwards and Rudy Gobert eras, to preserve continuity on that facet of the ball.
On the different hand, I feel that is precisely what Minnesota wanted offensively, so long as Ball can keep in management. Too typically throughout the playoffs, we noticed Anthony Edwards run level for the Timberwolves, and the offense appeared clunky. Having an excellent playmaker to run their offense who isn’t 38-year-old Mike Conley ought to change into so useful when their offense runs dry in the playoffs.
Nonetheless, with Reid now gone, Gobert will likely be the major choice at middle, which has brought on its personal points in the playoffs. Minnesota will want to add a flooring spacing choice at middle to run when groups are fully ignoring Gobert on protection.
Then, for Charlotte, this commerce looks like a little bit of a shock. I actually preferred Ryan Kalkbrenner in his rookie season as the Hornets middle, however Reid is a direct improve. The Hornets wanted assist in the entrance courtroom, however I’m shocked to see that come at the expense of Ball. Charlotte was one in every of the finest offenses in basketball down the stretch in 2026, so shifting on out of your franchise level guard is sort of the shock.
They acquired some stable draft capital on this transfer as effectively, one thing that might pay dividends if Ball doesn’t work out in Minnesota. The Hornets have a number of choices at guard, however will want to discover a true level guard to run their offense if they need to take the subsequent step and change into a playoff crew subsequent season.
This appears like a wildly high-ceiling, low-floor commerce for each groups. The upside is there, particularly for Minnesota, but when issues go south, the Wolves will remorse giving up a ton of capital simply to see Edwards go away in free company.
Hopefully, the eccentric personalities of Ball and Edwards work effectively with each other, as a result of there may simply be a brand new contender in the West. Minnesota’s odds to win the Western Conference have jumped from 3% to 18% on betting markets, so it is likely to be time to guess them earlier than their odds spike much more.
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