Cavs, Hornets discussed trade to team up LaMelo, Lonzo Ball
Recently, the The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to shake things up reported by De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroeder, and the Chicago Bulls were also involved in the trade. Now, it appears that Cleveland is far from done looking to make deals.
On Monday night, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannick reported that the Cavaliers were in talks with the Los Angeles Clippers to potentially trade James Harden for Darius Garland, and now, more information is coming to light on Cleveland’s reports of talks with the Charlotte Hornets.
“Sources say there have been some preliminary talks between the Cavaliers and Hornets about (Lonzo) Ball trade structures that could give Charlotte capital in the second round and thus allow the Hornets to pair the elder Ball with his younger brother LaMela,” reported Marc Stein and Jake Fisher on Stein’s Substack.
Fans have long dreamed of a reunion of the LaMelo brothers and Lonzo Ball from their days as high school teammates in Chino Hills.
Meanwhile, as Fisher and Stein mentioned, the Cavaliers will likely have to attach some draft compensation along with Ball to convince the team to bring him in, given how poorly he’s played so far this year.
“Charlotte, Brooklyn and Utah, according to league sources, are all teams that wanted to facilitate a multi-team trade or take on unwanted salary in exchange for draft pick compensation,” they reported.
The Hornets have been on a tear recently, winning seven straight games and flying toward the postseason berth in the Eastern Conference standings as a result.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Cleveland in the coming days to see if a trade with the Clippers involving Harden actually happens. Coincidentally, the Cavs next game is against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
2026-02-03 16:08:00
