Hornets Star LaMelo Ball Traded to Timberwolves—Just 2 Years After Buying Charlotte Home From NFL Legend Cam Newton

NBA star and former Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball is set to make the next major move in his basketball career after he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves by the Charlotte Hornets, six years after the team selected him as the first overall pick in the 2020 draft.

The trade will see Ball, 24, who is the son of Big Baller Brand CEO LaVar Ball, moving to the Timberwolves, alongside his teammate Josh Green. Meanwhile, the Charlotte-based side will receive Naz Reid, as well as an unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks, according to ESPN.

It marks the end of a very significant era in Ball's career, which began when he was a young boy being trained by his father. It later saw him signed by former NBA player-turned-manager Jermaine Jackson when Ball was just a teenager.

But it wasn't until 2020 that Ball made his debut in the NBA, when he was signed by the Hornets, three years after his older brother Lonzo was drafted as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft.

He was named as the 2020–21 Rookie of the Year following his first season with the Hornets, and in recent years, he has become what ESPN describes as "a tremendous offensive engine" and "one of the five best offensive players in the sport, in terms of per-possession impact."

His trade to the Timberwolves has therefore come as something of a shock to Hornets fans, with local outlet WCNC noting that many have expressed frustration that their team has seemingly thrown away a player that they believe could have helped to propel the squad to future successes.

"LaMelo's the face of the franchise. We are shocked as a city, I'm shocked as a fan, but I do have trust and faith in our franchise and front office," one fan told the publication.

Another person suggested that the trade is as shocking as if the Chicago Bulls had let go of Michael Jordan at the height of his career, while calling attention to the fact that the Hornets have already let their fans down by immediately trading Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers after selecting him in the 1996 draft.

"That's like trading Michael Jordan off the Chicago Bulls," the fan argued. "Y'all already didn't give us Kobe Bryant, y'all keep messing up the team chemistry. He was the hottest on the team, he brought us all the ticket sales, he scored the most points, there was nobody else better than him."

While Ball has not yet commented publicly on the trade news, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that he is "excited" to start working with the Timberwolves, particularly when it comes to playing alongside the Minnesota team's star player, Anthony Edwards.

"A source close to LaMelo Ball tells me now that he is excited to go to Minnesota and he wants to team up with Anthony Edwards bad to try to win some championships," Charania stated. However, he added that "LaMelo Ball didn't want to leave Charlotte, he wanted to be in Charlotte."

Ball has certainly settled into life in Charlotte in the six years that he has been living there, creating a luxurious sanctuary for himself in one of the city's premier condo buildings, which is located just a stone's throw from his team's home arena.

The 24-year-old sporting sensation first laid down roots in the property when he began renting a unit from former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, one of the city's legendary NFL icons.

According to records, Ball began renting the three-bedroom apartment from Newton soon after relocating to Charlotte in 2020—and he later purchased the unit from the NFL star for $2.47 million in 2024 in an off-market deal.

Ball used an LLC to complete the deal, having purchased another unit on the floor below that property for $2.2 million the previous year. The basketball pro scored quite an impressive deal on this unit, which had been listed for $2.5 million.

Interestingly, Ball was drawn into a recent controversy with Newton after his manager, Jackson, was ordered to vacate another unit in the building that the NFL player still owned, after he was accused of falling behind on more than $150,000 in rent.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Newton had agreed to continue leasing the property to Jackson, who moved to the North Carolina city with Ball when he was signed by the Hornets, even after selling his other condo to Ball.

However, Newton's property management company claimed in court documents that Jackson ceased paying rent on the dwelling and owed 11 months in back rent by the time the case was heard in court. Jackson's attorneys fired back at the claims, insisting that their client had been withholding rent because of a leak in the property that had not been fixed.

Judge April Mack ultimately ruled against Jackson and upheld an eviction filing, ordering that he vacate the property, arguing against his claims that the leak had made the unit uninhabitable. Jackson's legal team has since vowed to appeal that decision.

But now that Ball is headed to Minnesota, Jackson may also be ready to move on to a new city. However, it remains to be seen what his client will do with the two properties he owns in Charlotte.

Realtor.com® estimates suggest that he could sell the two units for upward of $4 million—a price that could well go up, depending on any updates he may have made to the dwellings over the past few years.