LaMelo Ball

Southeast Notes: Whitmore, Hornets, NBA Cup Money, Bane

December 8th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Poor practice habits are the reason Wizards coach Brian Keefe decided to bench Cam Whitmore, sources tell Grant Afseth of RG. Keefe stated over the weekend that Whitmore wasn’t living up to “certain standards,” but added that any further details would be kept internal. Afseth hears that the decision is in line with Keefe’s focus on accountability, consistency and building strong daily habits.

Washington was hoping Whitmore would blossom in his third NBA season after acquiring him from Houston, where he struggled to earn playing time on a talented roster. However, his numbers have been in line with his first two years as he’s averaging 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per night while shooting 45.6% from the field and a career-worst 28.6% from three-point range.

Afseth notes that Will Riley has been the biggest beneficiary of Whitmore’s reduced minutes and is earning a consistent spot in the rotation. The rookie forward has been delivering the energy that Keefe demands while putting up 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in his last three games.

Afseth adds that the door isn’t closed on Whitmore’s future in Washington, but he’ll have to meet the benchmarks that Keefe has established. The organization is evaluating all its young players based on their daily habits and long-term development, and Whitmore has to improve in those areas to reclaim regular minutes.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

A five-day break comes at a good time for the Hornets, who were down to 11 healthy players in Sunday’s loss to Denver, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required). LaMelo Ball, Collin Sexton, Tre Mann and Moussa Diabate were all sidelined by injuries, along with Grant Williams and Josh Green, who haven’t played yet this season. “It’s going to be great for us,” Miles Bridges said of the time off. “Some guys are hurt right now. They should be back by that time hopefully. But if not, we’re going to have a next-up-mentality, next man.”
Money is a huge motivator for the Heat and Magic as they prepare to square off Tuesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required). Players with standard contracts on the eight teams that have advanced to the knockout round have already earned an additional $53,093, and the rewards rise to $106,187 for reaching the semifinals, $212,373 for the finals and $530,933 for winning the tournament. “I think that’s kind of why they did it, for us to just buy into it a little bit more,” Miami guard Dru Smith said. “But also I think anytime you have a chance early in the season to really go and compete for something, even though it’s just a one-game series, basically, win or go home. Just to really have a chance to get a playoff feel this early, with the team, we were looking forward to that, coming into the season. I think it’s just something that will be really beneficial.”
Knicks players were upset after Magic guard Desmond Bane fired the ball at OG Anunoby, who had fallen out of bounds, in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game (YouTube link), relays Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bane received a technical foul and was subsequently booed by New York fans every time he touched the ball. Anunoby shoved Bane after the incident, but he decided not to escalate the situation. “I was confused at first, then it was funny,” he said. “I like Desmond. … He’s a good dude.”

Southeast Notes: Banchero, Herro, Whitmore, Ball

December 6th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paolo Banchero was limited to 20 minutes as he returned to the court Friday after missing 10 games with a left groin strain, but he was able to do just enough to help the Magic claim a one-point win over Miami, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Banchero, who finished with nine points, six rebounds and two assists, said he’ll need time to work his way back into playing shape.

“It’s going to take a couple of games,” he said. “My first two shots went in, so that was a good feeling. My shot feels decent. I think it’s going to take a few games, but I was just excited to be out there with the guys and get a win.”

Banchero returns at a good time for the surging Magic, who have won seven of their last 10 games and moved into a tie for fourth place in the East. He’s looking forward to a higher-stakes rematch with the Heat when the teams meet in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup tournament.

“(Friday) was a pretty ugly game for the most part,” Banchero said, “but just being able to find a way to win against a good team, we’re going to see them again Tuesday so we’re going to have to make the adjustments, see what we could have done better and come out and try to get another one against them.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

An MRI conducted Saturday showed that the toe irritation that prevented Tyler Herro from playing on Friday is being caused by a contusion, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required). He was held out of the Heat’s game tonight against Sacramento, but it’s not expected to be a long-term injury. “I know about as much as y’all,” Herro told reporters on Friday. “I’m just day by day right now. Not really too sure what happened. I got a little soreness in my big toe. Obviously, I got kicked in like the first quarter the other night in the back of my calf. And then I woke up and my big toe was hurting.”
Wizards forward Cam Whitmore didn’t play on Saturday, and coach Brian Keefe indicated the decision was disciplinary rather than being related an illness that had Whitmore listed as questionable, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (Twitter link).“We have certain standards that we have for our team,” Keefe said. “He has to live up to those on the better. And he’ll have a chance here, but that’s gonna be up to him when that time comes.”
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has been diagnosed with a bone bruise on his left ankle that will force him to miss Sunday’s matchup against Denver, relays Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Ball was unable to finish Friday’s game due to soreness in the ankle.

LaMelo Ball Exits Friday’s Game With Left Ankle Injury

December 5th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was unable to finish Friday’s game at Toronto, having been ruled out in the second half with left ankle soreness, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Ball had a “slight limp” when he headed back to the locker room less than two minutes into the third quarter. The injury appeared to occur when Ball slipped on the court when trying to get back for transition defense, Boone notes.

Ball, who has dealt with numerous ankle injuries the past few years, entered tonight’s contest with a probable tag due to a sprained left wrist before being upgraded to available. The one-time All-Star missed five consecutive games earlier this season with a right ankle impingement.

As Boone writes, the timing of Ball’s injury was particularly unfortunate, because it coincided with Brandon Miller returning from a two-game absence. Boone says the team was just being cautious with Miller’s left shoulder, which caused him to miss multiple weeks earlier in the seasons.

“He allows us to have another primary defender on some of their primary ball-handlers that I think are some of their best creators,” head coach Charles Lee said of the third-year wing. “And then offensively, he gives us another weapon when we’re trying to play with pace, we’re trying to pass the ball ahead, or across his ability to get to the paint and make plays, his basketball IQ.”

Rookie wing Sion James, who filled in at shooting guard with Miller out, earned praise from Lee as well, Boone adds.

“I love the communication that he has,” Lee said of James. “He’s very vocal in what he sees during the game, which I think helps his teammates and helps me as well. And then offensively, he stays within himself. He’s looking to catch and shoot. He’s looking to create and connect everybody on our team.”

Charlotte pulled out another victory over the Raptors despite Ball’s injury. Kon Knueppel (21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, seven assists) continued his strong rookie season, while second-year forward Tidjane Salaun poured in a career-high 21 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) in just 22 minutes (Twitter link via the Hornets).

NBA Execs Express Reservations About Young, Morant, LaMelo

December 3rd, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a sense among rival teams that Hawks guard Trae Young, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, and Hornets guard LaMelo Ball could all be available ahead of this February’s trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks. However, several scouts and executives who spoke to ESPN expressed reservations about the trio of star point guards.

“I wouldn’t want any of them,” one Western Conference general manager said.

“They all might have negative value,” an Eastern Conference executive added.

Another general manager in the West suggested that he wouldn’t be surprised if two or more of those point guards end up being moved in the same deal, observing that flawed stars viewed as candidates to benefit from a change of scenery sometimes get traded for each other.

Here are several more highlights from ESPN’s conversations with sources around the league about Young, Morant, and Ball:

Trae Young:

Defense is the main concern with Young, with MacMahon and Marks pointing out that the Hawks’ defensive rating with Young on the floor would be the worst in the NBA, whereas Atlanta has defended at a top-five level when the four-time All-Star isn’t playing.
One Eastern Conference scout stated that Young is “small and doesn’t play any defense,” but said he’d still take him over Morant and Ball because he’s so talented offensively and doesn’t have off-court concerns. However, other sources who spoke to ESPN expressed concern about a “long-running perception” that Young isn’t popular among his teammates.
Young can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 if he turns down his $49MM player option for ’26/27, but there’s uncertainty about what kind of contract Atlanta or another team would be willing to give him. “He might just be the ultimate floor raiser, which has its value,” another Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “But he’s definitely imperfect.”
If the Hawks do trade Young, they’d have to acquire a new lead ball-handler, multiple rival executives pointed out, whether that happens in the same deal or perhaps in next year’s draft, where Atlanta will have the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s first-round picks.

Ja Morant:

One Eastern Conference executive told ESPN that he wouldn’t want Morant on his roster even if he were on a much more team-friendly contract: “The combination of pain in the ass, injury-prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one.”
Some sources who spoke to MacMahon and Marks worried that Morant is following the same career trajectory as players like John Wall and Derrick Rose, point guards who relied on their athleticism and whose primes were shortened by injuries. “Ja has been going down, down, down,” a Western Conference GM said. “I don’t know how much of that is due to motivation. You’ve got to be able to look under the hood. I’m just not sure about his health.”
Other executives were more optimistic about Morant’s future, noting that the two-time All-Star has had some playoff success and suggesting that he’d benefit from a trade. “It’s a gamble, but I truly believe that Ja will be fine at his next stop,” one exec told ESPN. “But (the Grizzlies are) going to have to move Ja. They don’t have a choice.”

LaMelo Ball:

There’s a perception among many rival evaluators that winning isn’t all that important to Ball, given his questionable shot selection and his subpar defense. “He takes the same shots now that he took in high school,” an assistant coach said. “Nothing has changed. I actually thought early in the year he was giving more of an honest effort defensively, but the offensive side looks like nothing has changed.”
As is the case with Morant, durability is a major concern with Ball, who hasn’t played more than 47 games in a season since 2021/22. There are also questions about how his game would translate to the postseason, given that he has never been in the playoffs. However, many sources who spoke to ESPN view the 24-year-old’s general approach to the game as the most glaring red flag. “Nobody has ever questioned the talent, but he’s just so unserious,” a Western Conference executive said.
One scout said he considers Ball to be more talented than Young or Morant but would rank him last among the three due to his bad habits, per MacMahon and Marks. “He’s definitely one of the top three most talented guards in the league,” another source said. “But every (scouting) report I write on him has the word ‘Globetrotter’ in it.”

Southeast Notes: Johnson, Ball, Banchero, Magic, Sarr

December 1st, 2025 at 12:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Johnson‘s All-Star level season reached new heights on Sunday as the Hawks forward poured in a career-best 41 points against Philadelphia in a double-overtime win. He scored 12 of those points during the extra sessions.

“I think that’s been the really exciting thing about the things he’s doing is, when he’s made mistakes, he hasn’t let it get to him,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s responded and adjusted that. That’s the sign of a more mature player, when you’re able to make adjustments during the game. So I know he’s as happy as anyone about the win because he’s the guy that we’re playing through most of the time late in the game. But when we do that, as I’ve said, it doesn’t necessarily have to. We’re trusting him to make a play. And I think that’s the thing that he’s embracing.”

Over the past 10 games, Johnson has averaged 25.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists per night.

“I’m just trusting my work, and I have the confidence and trust from my teammates and coaches as well. So when you got that recipe, only good things happen,” said Johnson, who is in the first year of a five-year, $150MM contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets coach Charles Lee would like to see LaMelo Ball impact the game even when he’s struggling on the offensive end. Lee wants Ball, whose name has come up in the rumor mill this season, to make more of a difference on the defensive side. “We talk about that a good amount,” Lee told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “… So, we’ll continue to watch the film, and now we have to back it up with our actions game after game, day after day. Because this is the standard, this is the expectation. And I know when he plays at that high of a level, he makes our team different and really special and unique.”
Magic star forward Paolo Banchero hasn’t played since Nov. 12 due to a left groin strain and he’ll miss Monday’s game against the Bulls. Coach Jamahl Mosley said Banchero is still in the non-contact phase of his rehab, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. “We just continue to see and monitor how he responds to each treatment each day,” Mosley said.
Despite the extended absence of Banchero, the Magic still rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating, Beede notes. Orlando’s offensive rating is eighth, 19 spots higher than it finished last season, aided by the addition of Desmond Bane and some coaching staff changes.
Wizards center Alex Sarr won’t play against Milwaukee tonight due to right adductor soreness, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Sarr is averaging 19.1 points and 8.6 rebounds this season.

Southeast Notes: Sarr, Wizards, Porzingis, Hornets

November 30th, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

Alex Sarr has shown impressive growth this season, but until the Wizards‘ game against the Hawks on Tuesday, he was mainly taking those steps forward during losses, writes Varun Shankar for the Washington Post. According to Shankar, Sarr has improved most significantly as a scorer around the rim. Meanwhile, the rim protection and passing that he displayed as a rookie have continued to grow in his sophomore season.

Most importantly, Sarr has been a positive on-court presence for the team, as evidenced by the fact that the Wizards are almost 13 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor.

While Sarr’s 2.0 blocks per game stand out, head coach Brian Keefe says the most impressive part of the second-year center’s rim protection isn’t captured by the box score, but rather in the moments when Sarr deters opponents from going up for the shot to begin with.

“I wish it happened more,” Sarr said.

Sarr was rewarded for his improved play with “MVP” chants from the Wizards’ faithful in a rare win for the team vs. Atlanta.

We have more from around the Southeast Division:

Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum‘s impact for the Wizards might not show up in the win column, but their presence has been important for a young team learning the NBA ropes, writes Candace Buckner for the Washington Post. Their leadership comes through in little ways, like McCollum taking the blame for a foul committed by second-year wing Kyshawn George. “I was just telling him: ‘That’s on me. I’m running out; I could’ve just stayed for you. So next time, I’ll stay, but we got to communicate collectively a little bit better,'” McCollum said. “There’s just little stuff like that, where it’s like, that’s his foul in the box score, but that was a mistake on my part that I could have corrected and prevented the whole situation.” Middleton spoke more about how he can help off the court: “I try to see what’s needed. I feel out the room, seeing guys’ reactions, emotions or whatever it may be and try to flip that. If it’s a negative thought, make it positive… It’s hard in this league, especially when you lose so many games in a row before you win a game, and then [next game] you lay an egg. That’s not what you want to see. That’s not how you get better as a group, so come in tomorrow, and we get to look at this film, and we get to look at ourselves.”
Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out of the Hawks‘ game against the Sixers on Sunday, tweets Lauren J. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Porzingis will miss the game with the same illness that sidelined him for Friday’s contest against the Cavs. The big man has played in 12 of the team’s 20 games this season and is averaging 18.7 points and a career-high 3.3 assists per game, though he has struggled to find consistency with his outside shot.
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller took a big step forward for the Hornets on Saturday as they played the second half of a back-to-back, a rarity for two players who have been affected by injuries during the past year. “Definitely another positive step for those two guys being able to play in a back-to-back,” coach Charles Lee said. “With that, though, comes me still being mindful of not pushing it too far as we enter that next tier of their return-to-play programs. I’m excited for them, I know they’ve been working really hard.” Those limitations reared their head as the team went to overtime and the star backcourt was collectively unavailable, having reached their minute limits. Lee says that determining Ball’s minute load is a constant dialogue and exercise in communication. “Credit Melo, credit Pat Chasse, our director of performance, and his whole staff for putting together a really comprehensive plan,” Lee said. “Lamar (Skeeter), from the coaching staff too. And those conversations are had beforehand so we’re not in the game with emotions and everything going on.”

Kings Rumors: Murray, Clifford, Sabonis, LaVine, Ellis, Monk

November 23rd, 2025 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings pulled off an impressive win in Denver on Saturday night, upsetting the Nuggets by a score of 128-123. However, even after handing the Nuggets just their second home loss of the season, Sacramento has a 4-13 record, having dropped its previous eight games by an average margin of 23.4 points.

As a result, the Kings are very much open for business, writes Jake Fischer of Stein Line (Substack link). It’s still a little early for the in-season trade market to pick up, but Sacramento is willing to listen to inquiries on players “up and down” the roster, according to Fischer.

While most players on the Kings’ roster could be had for the right offer, Fischer identifies fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie guard Nique Clifford as a couple exceptions. Sources tell Fischer that both players are expected to be off limits this season, with the front office hoping that the young duo will be part of the long-term future in Sacramento. Murray and Clifford are the only two players on the roster whose contracts run beyond the 2027/28 season.

Domantas Sabonis is also something of a question mark, Fischer notes, since team owner Vivek Ranadive is a big fan of the veteran center, and Sabonis enjoys Sacramento and isn’t considered likely to ask for a trade. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Kings wouldn’t move him, but he’s on a maximum-salary contract and is viewed around the NBA as a negative defensively, Fischer explains, so it could be hard for the team to extract the kind of value it would want in a trade.

“It’s tough to pay a center that much who doesn’t protect the rim and doesn’t shoot threes — no matter how great of an offensive hub he can be,” one Western Conference executive told Fischer.

Here’s more on the Kings:

Besides Sacramento, the Warriors were the only other team to exhibit legitimate interest in Zach LaVine before he was traded out of Chicago last season, according to Fischer, who notes that Golden State – having acquired Jimmy Butler since then – won’t be in on LaVine now. LaVine’s maximum-salary contract will make him difficult to move for any real value, though Fischer hears that teams would have more interest if the high-scoring guard were willing to eliminate his $49MM player option for 2026/27 in favor of a multiyear deal that starts at a lower figure.
According to Fischer, the Kings’ former front office showed some interest in Trae Young, and LaVine’s camp made a push in the offseason to sell the Hawks on a deal that would’ve sent LaVine to Atlanta and Young to Sacramento. However, Fischer hears that general manager Scott Perry isn’t interested in pursuing Young, Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, or Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, none of whom fits the defense-first mindset the organization is prioritizing under the new regime.
“More than half the league” has called the Kings about guard Keon Ellis, a source tells The Stein Line. Teams around the NBA view Ellis as a “plug-and-play addition with two-way ability,” Fischer writes, noting that Ellis will become eligible for a contract extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2026. Fischer suggests Sacramento might be able to extract a first-round pick for Ellis; he could also be used to improve a package that includes a bigger contract like LaVine’s or DeMar DeRozan‘s.
The Pistons were viewed by several of Fischer’s sources as a potential landing spot for Malik Monk during the offseason, but “no one is saying that anymore,” he writes.

Hornets’ Ball, Lee Address LaMelo Trade Rumors

November 21st, 2025 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report on Thursday indicated that LaMelo Ball would be open to a trade out of Charlotte, the Hornets point guard responded on social media by posting a clown emoji. During a media session on Friday, Ball expanded on his reaction, telling reporters that he “loves being here” and explaining why he felt the need to respond to the trade rumor, as Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer relays.

“It didn’t come from me,” Ball said. “The source wasn’t me, so it’s false info. Got to let them know. I really don’t like commenting on stuff, but it got too big. … It was (spreading) so much, they were making headlines. Bleacher Report and this and that. So I didn’t want it to keep going on.”

Head coach Charles Lee was pleased to hear his star point guard publicly affirm his commitment to Charlotte.

“I’m glad to hear what he had to say because I would echo a lot of same things,” Lee said, per Boone. “Our relationship, our ability to have communication between myself, Melo and (president of basketball operations) Jeff (Peterson), it’s really hot. And I think that he’s always communicated to us. He wants to build this thing with us. He understands what it’s going to take to try to win and who we need in the building and stuff. So I think that he is just committed to Charlotte. He’s talked about how much he loves the city and the fans and that’s all I ever hear and that’s all.”

Since Ball arrived in Charlotte in 2020, the team hasn’t made the playoffs and has posted just one winning season (43-39 in 2021/22). The Hornets are coming off a 19-63 performance, their worst in two decades, and are off to a slow start this fall, with four wins in their first 15 games.

Ball’s injury history has played a part in Charlotte’s struggles. Plagued by ankle injuries, among other health issues, he has appeared in 36, 22, and 47 regular season games during the past three years and has missed six contests this month. However, he has played at an All-Star level when healthy, and the Hornets have actually been pretty solid when he’s on the court in 2025/26, with a +4.2 net rating in 282 minutes.

It’s enough for Ball to insist he still believes in the Hornets’ ability to turn things around.

“We are in some downs right now, but we are definitely going to go up,” he said on Friday. “I’m still confident in this whole group and everybody here.”

Fischer: Hornets ‘Not Actively Looking To Move’ LaMelo Ball

November 20th, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reported on Thursday that LaMelo Ball has become “increasingly frustrated” with the Hornets and is open being traded to a new team. Iko, citing league sources, also wrote that Charlotte’s front office had grown “disillusioned” with the star point guard and was open to a deal as well.

NBA insider Jake Fischer has heard differently. In his latest Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link), Fischer said he made several calls on Thursday regarding Ball’s situation with the Hornets, and while rival teams are “hoping” and “preparing” as though the 23-year-old may become available prior to the February 5 deadline, that is not currently the case.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Hornets are not actively looking to move LaMelo Ball any time soon,” Fischer reported.

Fischer went on to say that several key members of the organization — including Ball, coaches and front office executives — want to get a better idea of what the team looks like when Brandon Miller returns to action before making any type of drastic changes.

“LaMelo Ball is not asking out, to my understanding,” Fischer said. “And the Hornets are not actively looking to trade him by any stretch right now.”

According to Fischer, Ball isn’t the only former All-Star point guard that rival teams are monitoring: Ja Morant of the Grizzlies and Trae Young of the Hawks — both of whom are injured at the moment — fall into that category as well.

Fischer’s Stein Line colleague Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack story that the Hornets, Grizzlies and Hawks have each denied that they’re willing to listen to offers for their maximum-salary guards. Yet Stein also hears rival clubs are skeptical of that posturing and think that Ball, Morant and/or Young could indeed be on the market in the coming months.

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball Reportedly Open To Trade

November 20th, 2025 at 5:10pm CST by Rory Maher

5:10 pm: For what it’s worth, Ball responded to Iko’s report (via Twitter) with a clown face emoji.

4:39 pm: After losing to Indiana on Wednesday, a defeat in which he was benched for the final 4:32 of the fourth quarter, LaMelo Ball has become “increasingly frustrated” with the Hornets and is open to being traded to a new team, multiple league sources tell Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.

The Pacers entered Wednesday’s game with a 1-13 record and picked up their second victory of the season over the Hornets, who have dropped four straight and are now 4-11. Ball finished the game with 18 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes, but shot just 5-of-21 from the floor and committed six turnovers.

The third overall pick in the 2020 draft, Ball won the Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and was named to his first and only All-Star team in 2022. The 6’7″ point guard’s career has been derailed by a series of ankle injuries over the past few years. He played just 105 out of a possible 246 regular season games in the three seasons leading up to 2025/26.

Ball has gotten off to a rocky start this season, having missed six games due to a right ankle impingement and struggling with offensive efficiency. Still, Iko points out that Charlotte has been much better when Ball is playing and has struggled mightily when he’s not on the court.

According to Iko, one point of contention for Ball is his desire to play in a more uptempo offense — the Hornets currently rank 20th in the NBA in pace.

It sounds like the frustration goes both ways. Charlotte’s front office has grown “disillusioned” with Ball, no longer views him as a long-term cornerstone and is open to a trade as well, Iko reports.

[UPDATE: Fischer: Hornets ‘Not Actively Looking To Move’ LaMelo Ball]

As Iko writes, while Ball is still young and undeniably talented, it’s unclear how much interest he would generate if he’s made available, given his lengthy injury history, lucrative long-term contract, and “whispers” about the way he behaves on the court. Ball is on a maximum-salary deal which will pay him approximately $168.7MM over the next four years.

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