With the NBA Draft approaching, it's that time of the year where the NBA trade machine gets fired up — and this time it's Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball giving us his take.
On a recent episode of the What an Experience podcast, Lonzo said that his envisions his younger brother LaMelo Ball moving on from the Charlotte Hornets in a blockbuster deal to the LA Clippers.
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“I lowkey got Dylan Harper going to the Hornets and I got Melo going to the Clips,” Lonzo said.
Lonzo's trade idea sees the Hornets selecting Rutgers guard Dylan Harper with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and sending their All-Star point guard to his hometown of L.A.
Sure, the Clippers would certainly be interested in acquiring the younger Ball brother, but the Hornets selecting Harper in the Draft is less likely.
Harper is widely regarded as the second or third best player in the class alongside his college teammate Ace Bailey and behind presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
The Sporting News' latest Mock Draft has Harper currently projected to go to the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 2 pick. For Harper to end up in Charlotte, the Hornets would likely need to trade up to make it happen, making Ball's prediction an outside chance, if any.
Lonzo Ball says he envisions the Hornets drafting Dylan Harper and LaMelo Ball getting traded to the Clippers 👀
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 16, 2025
(🎥 @TheWAEShow / h/t @HornetsReddit )
pic.twitter.com/3HT6TRyThZ
LaMelo has spent five seasons in Charlotte after being drafted with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, going on to win Rookie of the Year and earn one All-Star selection.
He is currently one year into a five-year, $203 million extension.
From the Clippers perspective, the franchise is coming off their second consecutive 50-win season, but fell in the first round of the post-season to the Denver Nuggets in seven games.
With an ageing roster headlined by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Norman Powell — all north of 31 years old — pivoting to a younger timeline while still competing in the Western Conference would no doubt appeal to the front office, but putting together the pieces to make it work is another question.
LaMelo Ball contract
Ball signed a five-year max designated rookie max extension with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, worth up to $260 million.
His contract figure can rise based on meeting incentives, including end-of-season awards and All-NBA selections.
| Year | Salary | Age |
| 2024-25 | $35,147,000 | 23 |
| 2025-26 | $37,958,760 | 24 |
| 2026-27 | $40,770,520 | 25 |
| 2027-28 | $43,582,280 | 26 |
| 2028-29 | $46,394,040 | 27 |
| 2029 | Unrestricted free agent | 28 |
LaMelo Ball season stats 2024-25
- 47 games
- 32 minutes
- 25.2 points
- 7.4 assists
- 4.9 rebounds
- 1.1 steals
- 40.5 FG%
- 33.9 3PT%
- 84.3 FT%