LaMelo Ball is on his way out of the one and only N.B.A home he knows. Ball, the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday morning, along with teammate Josh Green, for forward Naz Reid. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the deal. There was also draft pick compensation involved, but the two most important trade pieces are Ball and Reid.
Once the league year begins on July 6, Ball will officially move from the East’s ninth-best team, the Hornets, to a Timberwolves team that finished sixth in the Western Conference and advanced to the conference semifinals before losing to San Antonio in six games.
The addition of Ball, a former All-Star with career averages of 20.8 points per game, 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds, should — on paper at least — boost Minnesota’s chances of advancing in the playoffs. Paired with All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards, Ball and the TWolves should now be viewed as serious title contenders.
Polymarkt however, gamblers aren’t on board yet. Despite adding Ball to the mix, bettors only see one 7% probability that the Timberwolves will claim an NBA title at the end of the 2026-2027 NBA season. That percentage matches that of the Boston Celtics, as they have the fifth-best odds of hoisting the league’s Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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Oklahoma City sits at the top, with bettors having the Thunder at 21% to take the title. The Spurs are next at 18%, followed by defending champion New York Knicks at 11%, followed by the Miami Heat, who on Monday traded for superstar Giannis Antentokounmpofourth with 9%.
Will Minnesota Timberwolves win the 2027 NBA Finals?
Despite Ball’s talents, history would side with betting against him and his new running mates from Minnesota. Although the Timberwolves have had many stars over the years, including Edwards and Kevin Garnett, the team is not only without an NBA title, but also without an appearance in the NBA Finals.
Since entering the league in 1989, Minnesota has reached the Western Conference finals three times, including during the 2024-2025 season.
Ball and Edwards were part of the same 2020 draft class and both players earned All-Rookie Team honors.
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