The last 24 hours have been a tumultuous time for Charlotte Hornets fans after LaMelo Ball was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Losing the face of the franchise is heartbreaking, but the Hornets still have a solid foundation to be ecstatic about.
With a truckload of future first-round picks, along with a gigantic $40.7 million trade exception (the largest in NBA history), Charlotte has the war chest to make a sizable move immediately. While they have a year actually to use the trade exception, it wouldn’t be a surprise at this point if they made another deal very soon.
Here are three potential trade targets for the Hornets with Ball no longer repping the purple and teal.
3 Star Trade Targets for the Hornets In Post-LaMelo Ball Era
Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics
Per Shams Charania, the Boston Celtics have been actively engaged in trade talks to move All-Star wing Jaylen Brown. There are multiple teams interested in him, and Charlotte should be one of them. Don’t forget that head coach Charles Lee coached Brown a few years ago as an assistant in Boston.
Brown is set to make over $57 million next season. Unfortunately, the Hornets cannot use their $40.7 million trade exception plus an expiring contract like Miles Bridges‘ $22.8 million to fit Brown’s massive contract on the roster.
Instead, they will have to get creative. It would most likely have to include Bridges, Naz Reid, and another player to make the financials work. Add in a few first-round picks to the deal, and Charlotte could acquire the five-time All-Star.
Brown finished the 2025-26 regular season averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 47.7/34.7/79.5 shooting splits. He was able to carry his team to the playoffs with Jayson Tatum nursing an Achilles injury for most of the season. He would immediately vault Charlotte into the playoffs.
The one burning question would be how he fits into the current roster construction. Modern positionless basketball philosophy would say that it could work. Starting Brown next to Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel feels like an odd fit, but Lee would figure it out.
Ja Morant – Memphis Grizzlies
At first glance, Ja Morant doesn’t make any sort of sense as a target for the Hornets. He also wouldn’t fit under the trade exception allowance. So why? The answer is value.
According to Brian Windhorst, Morant is “flagrantly available” in trade talks, but his two-year contract is making teams hesitant to take on the risk. If this is true, there’s a good chance the Hornets could not only acquire Morant’s services, but also additional draft compensation because of the not-so-friendly contract.
There is a mutual desire between the Memphis Grizzlies and Morant to part ways. Trae Young was traded for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. Morant’s trade value is probably lower than Young’s.
The two-time All-Star has been on a rapid decline, but he could be the perfect reclamation project for Lee. A fresh start could push Morant mentally to become that star player again.
Sure, it may not work out in the end. But if it does, it would be one of the best buy-lows in NBA history.
Kyrie Irving – Dallas Mavericks
Kyrie Irving is past his prime and is coming off an ACL injury. Despite that, he’s averaged 20+ points per game in 10 consecutive seasons. He would be one of the handful of players the Hornets could acquire via the $40.7 million trade exception.
Just like the Morant situation, Irving’s trade value is minuscule with his age (34) and recent torn ACL. However, he could be a solid scorer and facilitator for Charlotte, as he’s arguably one of the best ball-handlers in NBA history.
Dallas may want to move on from Irving and get younger to build around Cooper Flagg, while the Hornets may want to try and remain relevant in a post-LaMelo world.
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