The first month of the 2025-26 NBA season has almost felt like a practice run for the LaMelo Ball trade sweepstakes, which seemingly began Thursday when Yahoo reported that Charlotte’s star point guard is now open to a deal. Ja Morant’s tantrum against the Memphis coaching staff reminded us all that supply sorely outpaces demand on the point guard market. Anthony Davis’ future in Dallas became uncertain the moment Nico Harrison was fired, but the seemingly tepid response to his potential availability is a testament to how scared potential traders are of meaningful health risks. Sacramento’s slow start drew predictable reporting about the lack of interest in Zach LaVine thanks to his contract.
These are all concerns that apply to Ball, at least on some level. He plays the league’s most crowded position, and not especially often either, as he has appeared in just 114 games since the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. He has three fully guaranteed seasons left on a max rookie extension after this year, though thankfully he failed to earn eligibility for a Rose Rule bump, so his deal started at a more manageable 25% of the cap. He’s never reached the playoffs. He’s never played defense. His efficiency is significantly down this season. He checks every single box on the high-risk trade target chart.
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