NBA legend Michael Jordan has won 6 NBA titles in his illustrious playing career. But he is yet to win a ring as a team owner which he very much desires. MJ even admitted that winning a title as an owner would be sweeter than all 6 titles he won as a player. That is how badly the former MVP wants to win as an owner. The young team of Charlotte Hornets looked good in the past two seasons. Even though they were unable to clinch a playoff spot, they were able to reach the play-in tournament for 2 straight seasons.
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For the Hornets, superstar LaMelo Ball is at the center of things. The Hornets selected Ball as the #3 pick of the 2020 NBA draft. He has slowly become one of the best young point guards in the league with his exquisite passing and shooting. And he formed a great partnership with Miles Bridges. The duo often made the highlight reel with their flashy plays.
Bridges was also the team’s leading point scorer last season. And the Hornets were ready to make a qualifying offer. They were ready to match any offer made by another team to re-sign the free agent. But things went south after his arrest and his future is not clear.
Can Michael Jordan convince LaMelo Ball to stay?
With little to no addition in the offseason, it is not looking good for the promising team of last season. Earlier there were reports that LaMelo Ball would sign a $200 million contract extension with the Hornets. However, reports suggest that his camp is not happy with the direction of the franchise. It would be a huge blow for the Hornets if Ball desires to move to another team. And the fans are not happy about the lack of efforts from the franchise to surround better players around LaMelo Ball. Here are some of the reactions:
As he should be. MJ and company about to fumble the bag https://t.co/JG3QDWD6em
— Pappadorsë ™ (@Dorstradamus) September 3, 2022
they’re gonna fumble him just like they did Kemba 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/YgfDv4oSAa
— 🥷🏾 (@DemonDev_) September 4, 2022
Get him pieces and he will take you places https://t.co/DfWMuRmj2q
— Overseas Unders (@theblackpaulie) September 3, 2022
Young boy wanna win but the GM doesn’t know how to build a team in the modern NBA https://t.co/pukTY9AGiK
— Black QB Supporter Fan Club (@Blackeffect1986) September 3, 2022
Hornets best players after LaMelo are PJ, Oubre and Gordon Hayward… I don’t blame him when you saw Garland get Spida, Trae get Dejounte and KAT/Ant get Gobert all this summer. https://t.co/lNdr92K58f
— Will (@WillNetsFan) September 2, 2022
MJ is my goat but he might be a top 3 shittiest owner in basketball rn lol https://t.co/ZfbxPjwu7O
— wherestheball97 (@wheretheball97) September 2, 2022
Honestly if we lose Lamelo I’m done w the team 😂 we had a great opportunity this offseason and fumbled the bag in every way possible (except drafting mark)
— Butta (@UTSxButta) September 3, 2022
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Many fans admitted that it is fair for LaMelo Ball to be unhappy about the front office’s efforts. Last year, in his sophomore season, Ball made the all-star team. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.7 rebounds per game last season. But he needs better players around him to help the team seal a playoff spot.
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Ball still has 2 years left in his rookie contract. However, if he is not happy, he could request to be traded. So the fans are not happy. It will be interesting to see which direction Michael Jordan and the Hornets would take from here.
Do you think LaMelo Ball should move to a different team? Let us know in the comments.