Hornets, LaMelo Ball reportedly agree to five-year, $260M extension

The Charlotte Hornets have their All-Star point guard locked up for the foreseeable future.

LaMelo Ball agreed to a five-year extension worth up to $260 million — the maximum amount he could have received — with the Hornets, The Athletic reported Saturday.

The decision to give Ball the max extension follows a couple of franchise-altering moves in recent weeks. In June, longtime owner Michael Jordan agreed to sell his majority stake in the team to minority owner Gabe Plotkin along with Rick Schnall. Shortly after, the team selected Alabama forward Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick, passing on guard Scoot Henderson, who many analysts believed was the second-best player in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Some speculated that the Hornets’ decision to select Miller over Henderson had to do with fit because they already had a point guard in Ball. Either way, the Hornets have seemingly declared that Ball is their point guard of the future with the extension they’re giving him.

Ball has arguably been one of the NBA’s most exciting players since the Hornets drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He’s averaged 19.4 points, 7.3 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game over the first three seasons of his career, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and an All-Star nod in the season after.

But Ball was in and out of the lineup this past season due to injuries. His last injury was a season-ender when he fractured his ankle in late February. He ended up playing in just 36 games.

With Ball missing the majority of the season, the Hornets took a tumble in the standings following a promising 2021-22 campaign. They went 27-55, holding the fourth-worst record in the league.

Now, the hope for the Hornets is that Ball gets back on track and helps them get into the postseason for the first time since 2016.

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