“Going to Win MVP”: NBA Champion Makes Big Claim on Anthony Edwards After LaMelo Ball’s Arrival

Kendrick Perkins has been building to this. When the Timberwolves first traded for LaMelo Ball back in July, sending Naz Reid to Charlotte in the deal, Perkins didn't hold back on ESPN's "First Take." "Now, all of a sudden, you bring back LaMelo Ball, with Anthony Edwards. That is the best (expletive) backcourt in the NBA," he said at the time.

Months later, with training camp underway, Perkins has taken that praise a full step further.

"I also believe he's going to win MVP this season," Perkins said of Edwards, crediting the new pairing directly. "LaMelo Ball is gonna impact Anthony Edwards in such a positive way that I got Anthony Edwards as my frontrunner going into this season as the MVP."

He finished third in the league in scoring last season at 28.8 points per game, behind only Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but he did it without a true table-setter alongside him.

Ball averaged 7.1 assists in 72 games for Charlotte last season and led the league in made three-pointers. He gives Minnesota exactly that. Perkins pointed out that Ball elevated Kon Knueppel's efficiency and argued that the same boost could help Edwards.

Edwards himself has been more cautious about instant chemistry. He acknowledged that the first year playing alongside Ball could be rocky as both adjust to sharing the ball in new roles.

Head coach Chris Finch has said the staff is focused on generating more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Edwards, whom he called elite in that role. He's also expecting the pairing to unlock another level from veterans like Rudy Gobert.

Perkins' argument wasn't only about offense. Edwards played 61 games last season due to a mix of injuries, and Ball's arrival was meant to lighten the creation burden that contributed to that wear and tear.

Fewer possessions spent generating his own shot from scratch, Perkins has argued, should mean a more efficient and more available Edwards over an 82-game schedule, both qualities required for an MVP campaign.

Edwards and Ball entered the league together in the 2020 draft class. Minnesota has reached the Western Conference Finals twice in the past three seasons, losing to Dallas in 2024 and Oklahoma City in 2025.

Perkins put that history on Edwards. He said that the front office has done its part and "it's okay to want more," a way of raising the stakes on a supporting cast finally built to match his talent.

Whether the fit translates into an MVP campaign will play out over the course of the season. From "best backcourt in the NBA" in July to an outright MVP prediction in September, his read on Edwards and Ball has only gotten bolder as camp has approached.