RealGM Basketball Wiretap

22 November 2025

• Hornets Appear Willing To Listen To LaMelo Ball Trade Offers

  While LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets have each given clear signals that they'd prefer to make the situation work and avoid a trade, the topic will likely remain one that the league tracks closely leading up to the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

  When asked to respond to the initial report, Ball said he loves being with the Hornets and hopes to remain with the franchise.

  "The Hornets have definitely given other teams the impression they will listen to offers for him," wrote Jake Fischer during his Friday chat.

  Ball is averaging 21.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists in 31.4 minutes over nine games this season. Ball, who is represented by Sam Permut, has $130 million remaining over the next three seasons on his contract.

• LaMelo Ball On Trade Rumors: I Love Being Here

  LaMelo Ball reiterated his preference to remain with the Charlotte Hornets after practice on Friday following a report that he is open to a trade away from the franchise that drafted him in 2020.

  "I love being here," Ball said . "I ain't saying nothing. I'm just trying to win, that's it. That's what we're going to keep doing."

  The Hornets have a 4-11 record this season. In his first five seasons, Ball played in only 231 of 410 games due mostly to ankle issues.

  "He never heard that come from me, so the source is not from me," Ball said. "So it's just false info."

  Ball said he doesn't like commenting on rumors but felt he had to speak out before the reports got out of hand.

  "When they get too big, you know, you gotta say something," Ball said. "It was so much that it was making headlines in Bleacher Report and this and that, so I didn't want it to keep going on."

• Report: Hornets Not Looking To Trade LaMelo Ball

  A recent report surfaced that the LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets might be open to a trade of the star guard. In a live stream for Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer reported that he's heard differently.

  "I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Hornets are not actively looking to move LaMelo Ball any time soon," Fischer said about the situation.

  The original report was that Ball had grown frustrated with the Hornets. That has Ball open to a trade from the only team he's played for.

  Fischer said Ball hasn't asked Charlotte for a trade, nor is the team considering it right now.

  "LaMelo Ball is not asking out, to my understanding," Fischer said. "And the Hornets are not actively looking to trade him by any stretch right now."

• Report: LaMelo Ball, Hornets Open To Trade Possibility

  LaMelo Ball is open to a trade from the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Ball has become increasingly frustrated with the franchise. For their part, sources tell Yahoo that the Hornets are open to moving Ball. Ball has $130 million remaining over the next three seasons on his contract, but is only 24 years old and could play to his talents following a change of scenery.

  The Hornets have a 4-11 record and Ball was benched for the final 4:32 of their 127-119 loss to the 2-13 Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

  Ball is averaging 21.6 points, 6.9 reboudns, 9.6 assists in 31.4 minutes over nine games this season with the Hornets. Ball is shooting less than 30 percent on three-pointers this season and under 40 percent from the floor.

  Ball was the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and won Rookie of the Year. After he was an All-Star in 2022, Ball has dealt with injuries and inconsistent play.

  Head coach Charles Lee wants the Hornets to play in a more structured offensive system that also provides opportunities and spacing for Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel.

  Ball responded to the Yahoo report on X with a clown emoji.

• Brandon Miller Out At Least Two More Weeks With Shoulder Injury

  Brandon Miller will be reevaluated in two weeks after the Charlotte Hornets confirmed his left shoulder subluxation injury. Miller underwent further evaluation for the injury that was suffered on October 25.

  Miller has missed five straight games with the injury after averaging 14.5 points and 4.0 assists in the Hornets' initial two games of the season.

  Miller played in just 27 games last season due to a season-ending torn ligament in his right wrist.

• Hornets Exercise 2026-27 Team Option For Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun

  The Charlotte Hornets exercised their 2026-27 team options for Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaun on Friday.

  Miller's option is for $15.1 million. Miller is currently out due to a shoulder subluxation.

  Salaun's option is worth $8.24 million. Salaun is averaging 4.0 points and 4.8 rebounds on the season.

• NBA Says Terry Rozier Investigation Lacked Sufficient Evidence, Never Cleared Him

  The NBA permitted Terry Rozier to continue playing after a 2023 investigation into suspicious wagering activity because it did not find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, though the league never technically cleared him, according to NBA spokesperson Mike Bass.

  Rozier was arrested and indicted on two federal charges last week alleging he shared information that he would exit a March 23, 2023 game early with a friend who sold it to sports bettors. The guard appeared in 125 games over the last two seasons following the league's probe.

  Multiple sportsbooks flagged suspicious prop bets on Rozier ahead of the 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier exited after just 9 minutes and 34 seconds, scoring five points-16 fewer than his season average-while $263,000 was wagered on his prop bets.

  "At the time, we did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that Rozier violated league rules," Bass told The Athletic. "As is typical for NBA investigations, this conclusion was subject to any new evidence we might receive."

  The NBA interviewed Rozier and examined his phone before allowing him to continue playing. The league shared its findings with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, which secured indictments this month.

  Bass acknowledged the league's investigative limitations compared to law enforcement agencies. The NBA employs a sports gambling investigative team led by a top league attorney and former federal prosecutor.

  "The NBA does not have the same authority or investigatory resources as the federal government, including subpoena power to obtain information from anyone, law enforcement surveillance, wire-tapping and search warrants," Bass said.

  Rozier's attorney Jim Trusty maintains the guard suffered a legitimate injury during the game in question. Bass confirmed an MRI documented Rozier's injury at the time.

  Rozier, through his attorney, has denied the federal charges. The case raises questions about the effectiveness of league investigations into suspicious gambling activity without law enforcement resources.

• LaMelo Ball Fined $35,000 For Obscene Gesture Toward Referee

  Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture on the playing court. Ball gave a referee the middle finger.

  The incident, for which Ball was assessed a technical foul, occurred with 4:02 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Hornets' 144-117 loss to the Miami Heat on Oct. 28 at Kaseya Center.

• Terry Rozier's Lawyer Claims Shoe Contract Disproves Gambling Allegations

  Terry Rozier's attorney Jim Trusty dismissed federal allegations that his client faked an injury to facilitate illegal sports betting, arguing Rozier lost money from his shoe endorsement deal by missing games at the end of the 2022-23 season.

  The federal indictment alleges Rozier informed co-defendant De'Niro Laster he would prematurely remove himself from a March 23, 2023 game in the first quarter due to a supposed injury. Rozier exited that Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans contest and missed the final eight games of the season.

  Trusty appeared Tuesday on The Will Cain Show on Fox News to defend his client against the charges unsealed last week.

  "This indictment actually suggests that he faked the injury, which is absurd. People knew about it. Medical people knew about it. Staff knew about it. Friends knew about it," Trusty said. "And so when he sat that game and the next five or six games to end the season, he actually lost money."

  Trusty told Front Office Sports that Rozier's shoe contract was pro-rated based on games played. He said Rozier "lost a significant amount of money by sitting out the last 5-6 games of that season."

  Rozier had a shoe deal with Puma through the end of the 2022-23 season, though financial details remain undisclosed. He wore Nike shoes exclusively the following season before switching to Skechers for most of last season.

  When asked directly whether Rozier provided inside information for illegal betting purposes, Trusty responded emphatically.

  "Yes, that's an easy one to answer. It's an absolute not. Never happened," Trusty said. "I think the prosecution basically knows it, but they liked the idea of having him as a trophy in this case to kind of mirror the bigger case with Chauncey Billups."

  The indictment lists eight separate betting instances on Rozier unders totaling $265,300 in wagers. It remains unclear whether Rozier received any money from the alleged scheme.

  The indictment states defendants Marves Fairley and Laster counted money at Rozier's Charlotte home on April 1, 2023.

• Brandon Miller Out Due To Shoulder Subluxation, Will Be Re-Evaluated On Wednesday

  Brandon Miller is set to miss his second straight game due to shoulder subluxation on Tuesday.

  Miller is set to be re-evaluated on October 29 when the Hornets return from their road trip.

  Miller suffered the injury during the second quarter of the Hornets' loss to the Sixers on Saturday.