LaMelo Ball Traded to Minnesota in Blockbuster Four-Team NBA Deal

In a four-team blockbuster, the Minnesota Timberwolves land LaMelo Ball (along with Josh Green and Isaiah Evans’s draft rights), Brooklyn nets Julius Randle and Joshua Jefferson’s rights, while the Chicago Bulls acquire Nic Claxton and the Charlotte Hornets receive Naz Reid, Mouhamadou Gueye, Matteo Spagnolo’s draft rights and a large bundle of future picks and pick swaps. The trade also creates the NBA’s largest trade‑exception (~$40.77 million) for Ball’s outgoing salary, with all sides confirming the deal after salary‑matching adjustments and a July 9 finalization following Gueye’s trade restriction. Nets GM Sean Marks publicly praised the move as part of retooling Brooklyn’s roster.