Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball gets huge endorsement from NBA general managers
NBA general managers expect big things from Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball and sure didn’t see the Gordon Hayward move coming.
Ball, the flashy point guard drafted third overall, was picked as the favorite for Rookie of the Year in an nba.com survey of the league’s 30 general managers.
Meanwhile, the Hornets acquiring small forward Hayward was chosen as the off-season’s most surprising move.
Ball received 39% of votes cast as the prediction for top rookie. He topped Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman (29%) who was drafted second, and forward Obi Topping (18%), who the New York Knicks drafted 8th.
In that same survey, the general managers projected Wiseman to be the top player in this draft class five years out, with Ball second in that category. Top pick Anthony Edwards was third in the five-year projection, followed by Charlottean Patrick Williams, now a Chicago Bulls forward.
Ball hasn’t started for the Hornets in the first three preseason games, but he had an impactful performance off the bench Thursday against the Orlando Magic with 18 points and five assists.
Hornets coach James Borego says Ball “oozes confidence.” Veteran Bismack Biyombo said Ball having played professionally overseas before coming to Charlotte speeds his assimilation into the NBA.
Hayward deal
The Hornets acquiring 10-year veteran Hayward was picked overwhelmingly as the most surprising roster move of the off-season, with 54% of the votes. The Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade came in a distant second at 18%.
Hayward opted out of the final $34 million season on his contract with the Boston Celtics to become a free agent. The Hornets pursued him along with the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks, and the Celtics attempted to re-sign him.
The Hornets committed to the bold step of waiving Nic Batum — and stretching the final $27 million of Batum’s contract over three salary-cap year — in order to have enough cap space to afford Hayward’s 4-year, $120 million contract. Hayward is arguably the biggest free-agent acquisition in Hornets history.
Ultimately, after Hayward and the Hornets agreed to terms, the Celtics arranged a sign-and-trade deal in order to preserve a large trade exception. The Hornets will get two future second-round picks from the Celtics in the sign-and-trade terms.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 11:59 AM.
