NBA Trade Rumors: 3 Top Landing Spots for LaMelo Ball

As we learned on Thursday, LaMelo Ball wants a trade out of Charlotte. But how many teams will be lining up to deal for the exciting and talented, yet injury-prone point guard? Insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN says not too many.

"I'm not sure that there's going to be a humungous market for him... The last three years, he's played 36 games, 22 games, 47 games, and has missed 6 of the first 15 (this season)," said Windhorst. In fact, of Ball's six NBA seasons, he's only had one with more than 51 games played.

Ball, 24, is in the second season of a five-year, $203.9 million extension. All of the above will make it difficult for the Hornets to trade him. But that doesn't mean there won't be any takers. He is still a phenominal talent.

Let's take a look at 3 potential landing spots for LaMelo:

Memphis Grizzlies

Ok, this one sounds too obvious. Trading one troubled point guard who has worn out his welcome (Ja Morant) for another. Makes a ton of sense, from a contract and performance standpoint. ESPN's Kevin Pelton mentioned it to Windhorst as a possibility, though whether it was tongue-in-cheek, it's hard to know.

"Why not Ja Morant for LaMelo Ball? Let's call it in and at least have new problems. It's the zoomer generation version of when Russell Westbrook and John wall got traded for each other when both of those teams were in difficult spots with those respective star point guards."

Houston Rockets

This one makes the most sense. The Rockets lost their point guard, Fred VanVleet, before the season even began. Sending FVV's contract would go a long way to the salary-matching needed. However, as Sam Quinn of CBS Sports notes, 'Melo isn't exactly the ideal Ime Udoka defensive-oriented player.

LA Clippers

This is a destination that makes some sense as well for Ball, as he'd be heading home. His older brother, Lonzo, was the second overall pick by the LA Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft, now it would be 'Melo's turn to play in front of family. However, with James Harden running the show from the point in Clipperland (and really, the only Clipper having a good season), that's one too many high-usage point guards.

Of course, either of them could play off the ball and create offensive nightmares for opponents, but it would be the Clippers who'd experience the nightmares on the defensive end.