Hornets Make $74M Decision With Coby White After Trading LaMelo Ball

A new era of Charlotte Hornets basketball is beginning. Former All-Star LaMelo Ball, long considered the face of the franchise and its on-court leader, has been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves alongside Josh Green. With that chapter closed, the Hornets are now looking to Coby White as a potential cornerstone of their future.

With Ball's contract out of the way, the Hornets can now reconstruct their team. They are already planning to offer White a significant extension as one of the first steps after trading Ball away.

On July 6, when teams can officially sign players to contracts, White reportedly intends to sign a three-year, $74 million deal to remain in Charlotte, per Shams Charania.

White, whom the Hornets acquired this past season ahead of the trade deadline, now has the opportunity to step into the lead guard role. He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer had he and Charlotte not reached a deal.

In exchange for Ball and Green, the Hornets will receive 2024 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid. Additionally, they are getting an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, a second-round pick in 2029, 2032, and 2033, and the right to swap first-rounders in 2028, 2029, and 2030.

Ball still has three years left on his 5-year, $203,852,600 contract. A contract he earned by showing flashes that he can be the starting point guard on whom the franchise rests its future.

White forms a young core with Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller, along with Reid, hoping this group not only gets them to the postseason but also keeps them competitive for a very long time.

LaMelo Ball's Injury Woes Kept Him From Reaching His Potential With the Hornets

LaMelo Ball was drafted third overall by the Hornets in 2020. As with anyone taken that high in the draft, the expectations were that Ball would become a franchise leader who could hopefully pull the team up from being constantly at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

His first season with the team showed plenty of promise. He posted 15. 7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on his way to winning Rookie of the Year.

In his second year, he upped that production to 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.

He was on the rise, and it looked as though, with the right roster around him, the Hornets were finally on the rise. However, the next three seasons became a struggle for him just to remain on the court.

Persistent injuries kept him sidelined for most of his third season, limiting him to only 36 games. Then, in 2023-24, he played in a career-low 22 games. In 2024-25, he stepped on the court only 47 times.

While he played over 70 games for the first time since his sophomore year last season, he had already shown a history of being extremely injury-prone at such a young age.

When he does play, he plays like the offensive leader the team needs. Through 303 games, he has posted 20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.

He also has a penchant for creating jaw-dropping highlight plays that can even sometimes stun opposing defenses.

However, despite all he could do on the court, the Hornets never reached the playoffs even once during his stint. Injuries contributed to that, yes. However, the Hornets also struggled to attract big-name free agents to come and help the team become a postseason presence.

With the Minnesota Timberwolves, he pairs up with another young All-Star in Anthony Edwards, who has already reached the postseason

The question now is, how far can a healthy LaMelo Ball elevate the Timberwolves in a stacked Western Conference?