Hornets GM reveals why he made stunning LaMelo Ball trade: Honest look in the mirror
Charlotte Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson said the franchise’s decision to trade LaMelo Ball was made with a long-term mentality.The goal, short-sighted and shocking as it may appear to some in Charlotte, is to compete for titles, Peterson said.“These decisions are challenging at times, but when you look at the totality of the season and everything of where we were, it’s important to take an honest look in the mirror of where you guys are as a team,” Peterson told reporters at the Las Vegas summer league on Saturday.The comments come three months removed from a 44-38 season and a play-In appearance in the Hornets’ best season in a decade.“And it just felt like the goal is never to compete for a play-in spot.The goal isn’t to get to the play-in or even the playoffs for one year,” Peterson said.
“I’ve said it plenty of times since I’ve been here in Charlotte: The goal is to get to the playoffs and stay there for a long time.And eventually contend to compete for championships.
Getting Naz Reid when you can get a player of his caliber.And of course, the draft capital and the flexibility just felt like it was something that was able to achieve multiple goals in one transaction.”Peterson was hired as president of basketball operations for the Hornets in March 2024 after a five-year stint as the assistant GM of the Nets, which followed a six-year front office run with the Hawks, where he held roles as assistant GM and director of scouting, among others.Peterson executed two sizeable deals for Charlotte this season, which notably had the No.
1 net rating in the NBA for about the last four months of the regular season and ended their 2025-26 run with a 28-10 record.The blockbuster deal sent Ball and Josh Green to the Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps and three second-round selections.It ended Ball’s six-year run in Charlotte after he was selected No.3 overall in...