Connelly: Ball will 'elevate' Wolves

LaMelo Ball came to Minnesota for a steep price.

The opportunity, at a cost of two proven power forwards and multiple draft picks, was deemed worthwhile by the Timberwolves in their ongoing attempt to make the last and most difficult step toward an NBA title.

"I think he'll elevate us," president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said, "and our environment will be conducive to his continued growth as well."

Eager to gain one of the league's true point guards and lessen the ballhandling and playmaking burden on superstar Anthony Edwards, the Wolves had to swallow hard and surrender valuable assets.

Completing a complicated four-team trade with Brooklyn, Charlotte and Chicago, Minnesota acquired Ball and guard Josh Green, and sent fan favorite Naz Reid and a package of draft picks — a 2033 unprotected first-rounder, first-round swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, and second-rounders in 2029,2032 and 2033 — to the Hornets.

Second-leading scorer Julius Randle went to the Nets, which swapped the 28th overall selection in the draft last month for No 33 that landed the Wolves guard Isaiah Evans. That first part of the trade also created the salary cap space necessary for the Wolves to re-sign guard Ayo Dosunmu.

Edwards was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. Ball went third. Green was the 18th selection by Dallas and Jaden McDaniels was 28th, giving the Wolves four first-round picks from that year.

"Well, we have none for the next 10 years," Connelly quipped at the introductory news conference for Ball and Green on Tuesday at Target Center. "It's all about quality, not quantity, right?"

All four of those 2020 draftees are still 25 or younger, giving the Wolves confidence they'll continue to contend — "bites at the apple" is Connelly's description — as long as Edwards is on their roster.

"I've known Ant for a minute, so we've been talking," Ball said. "Everybody's excited, and we're ready to get to work."

Ball played in only 43 percent of the games over a three-year stretch from 2022-25, before a promising 2025-26 season that helped propel the Hornets into the play-in games.

He has shown recklessness on and off the court at times, too.

But the Wolves will give him a stronger team around him than he ever had with the Hornets, and six years into his NBA career the 6-foot-7 Ball is still just 24.

"You've got to have a big back-court. We learned that through the playoffs this year," Wolves coach Chris Finch said.

The flip side of Ball's penchant for undisciplined or flashy plays is a carefree style the Wolves could use. One of the undercurrents of their underachieving season that ended with a second-round loss to San Antonio was a moodiness that became part of their collective personality.

Too many players took too long to shake off unproductive games or frustrating stretches.

"This is supposed to be fun," Connelly said. "He enjoys life. He enjoys playing. You don't want to make this anything but a place with a joyous atmosphere."

Minnesota may also be considering a long-shot pitch for LeBron James.

The void left by the departure of Randle and Reid could be filled rather neatly by the free agent who has included the Wolves on his list of teams worth considering.

Meet Minneapolis, the city's tourism arm, even took out digital billboards in Los Angeles to add a light-hearted element to the pitch for James.

But even if the NBA's all-time leading scorer is unlikely to land in Minnesota for his 24th season, the Wolves have found satisfaction in the widespread notion around the league that they might well provide the best on-court fit for James next to Edwards, Ball and McDaniels, with veteran defensive whiz Rudy Gobert at the rim.

"This is a place where you're going to have a lot of fun and win a lot of games. We're trying to change the narrative of how this organization is viewed. We're kind of proud of who we are, and certainly, wherever LeBron ends up, he's going to make that place much, much better," Connelly said. "I like who we are, and we're pretty proud of who we are. Hopefully, that's appealing, not just to LeBron, but to any free agent."

AP