LaMelo Ball records 12 points, five assists

Ball looked comfortable with his new team, pairing with Anthony Edwards to hit 14-of-30 from the arc. Just as big for fantasy managers, especially those in category leagues, was Ball’s single turnover in 28 minutes. Expecting him to do that consistently would be greedy, but Minnesota’s lineup should keep Ball from feeling like he has to do too much offensively. Which would be great for his fantasy outlook.

Ball has scored in double figures in back-to-back exhibition contests despite limited minutes as Minnesota continues to ramp-up in advance of their season opener. The polarizing 25-year-old playmaker was able to connect with new running mate Anthony Edwards on a couple occasions, including a nifty drive to the basket that resulted in a kickout three-pointer. He’s one of the more unique all-around contributors in the fantasy landscape and there are probably going to be nights where the Timberwolves look unstoppable on the offensive end of the floor. He’s a borderline second-round pick in most fantasy drafts this fall.

Making his unofficial Timberwolves debut, Ball played 17 minutes in the first half in Milwaukee. While you can’t take too much from one game, he played efficiently and committed just one turnover. Combining Ball with Anthony Edwards (14 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one three-pointer) gives Minnesota a backcourt that’s far more dangerous off the dribble than last year’s group. And an efficient Ball can be one of the most effective point guards in fantasy basketball, regardless of league format.

Clark’s production this past season didn’t differ much from the prior. While scoring, rebounding, and assisting at similar levels, he regressed as a shooter in his second NBA season, posting averages of 4.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 13.1 minutes per game. The wing and guard rooms remain crowded in Minnesota with the reported acquisition of LaMelo Ball and the re-signing of Ayo Dosunmu. However, Clark’s three-year deal suggests the Timberwolves still value him and want him to remain in the nightly rotation.

Charania reported late Wednesday night that the Hornets were fielding offers for Ball and NBA Insider Marc Stein pinpointed the Timberwolves as one of the interested teams. Now both sides have agreed on a deal that sends Ball along with Josh Green to Minnesota in exchange for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Anthony Edwards was frustrated with how he’s been double-teamed since the team traded Karl Anthony-Towns. Now the Timberwolves have sent a haul to the Hornets to pair Edwards with Ball in the backcourt. Ball stayed healthy playing 72 games last season and is in line for similar fantasy production in Minnesota while the Hornets’ Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller could see increased usage with Ball no longer in Charlotte.

While the report says the Hornets have not signaled they’re looking to move on from Ball, that has not kept some teams from taking the initiative to see if they can get something done. According to both Charania and NBA insider Marc Stein, Minnesota and Toronto are the teams in question. Having struggled with injuries in recent years, Ball appeared in 72 games last season and was one of the reasons why the Hornets landed in the Play-In tournament. He averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.8 three-pointers per game, shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 89.9 percent from the foul line. If Ball is moved, it would be a clear sign that Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are the Hornets’ cornerstones.

While Ball shot more efficiently from the field on Friday than he did in Wednesday’s win, the end result was a blowout, season-ending loss. He scored well from beyond the arc and concluded as the only Hornets player to reach the 20-point mark. Additionally, Ball was Charlotte’s only player with more than two assists. The sixth-year guard’s scoring numbers took a hit this year as his minutes decreased. Yet, he logged 72 regular-season games and proved he could stay healthy. Ball should be in line for a similarly productive 2026-27 season from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

The foul has also been upgraded to a flagrant, but the main takeaway here is that LaMelo will be available for Friday’s play-in matchup with the Magic. That will be another win-or-go-home game for them, so having their star point guard serving a suspension would’ve put them at a massive disadvantage. That won’t be the case, which will give them a chance to return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Ball went down in the second quarter and appeared to make contact with Adebayo’s ankle. Adebayo took a hard fall that sent him to the locker room and caused him to miss the rest of the game. The NBA will review the footage to determine if Ball’s contact was intentional, and Haynes reports that a ruling is expected before Friday’s Play-In game.

Ball struggled from the field on Tuesday but made the shot that counted the most. Down by one point with under nine seconds to play, he caught the ball at the top of the arc, drove right, and finished a contested layup to give the Hornets the lead and ultimately the win. Ball had missed 19 of his 30 shot attempts prior to the go-ahead bucket that will keep Charlotte’s season alive. The sixth-year point guard tallied double-digit assists to go along with his 30 points. He’ll have a chance to record another double-double in the final elimination game on Friday, when they face the loser of Wednesday’s Philadelphia-Orlando matchup.