The NBA calendar is barely a month old, but the rumor mill is already humming with the kind of names that tilt playoff races and rewrite franchise timelines. Multiple All-Star talents — Ja Morant, Trae Young, Zion Williamson, Lauri Markkanen, Domantas Sabonis, even Anthony Davis in certain corners — have appeared in early trade chatter. But no name sparks more debate than the one coming out of Charlotte: LaMelo Ball.
Just two years ago, the Charlotte Hornets were unmistakably his team. Everything ran through his tempo, his creativity, his audacity. But injuries, efficiency dips, and the rapid rise of rookie Kon Knueppel have shifted the franchise’s gravity in ways few expected this soon.