The Charlotte Hornets have decided to pay LaMelo Ball and make him their franchise point guard moving forward, inking him to a five-year extension worth up to $260 million. Ball was the Rookie of the Year and had taken the Hornets to the play-in tournament, but has been inconsistent offensively and is prone to being reckless with the ball. We’ll see if he can become more consistent and improve defensively to justify this contract.
Just In: Charlotte Hornets All-Star LaMelo Ball is finalizing a five-year designated maximum contract extension that is worth up to $260 million, league sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023
The structure of the deal means there are likely incentives to account for injuries and production. Ball has been dynamic offensively when he’s on the court, but he remains a turnover machine and can display poor effort at times. With the addition of No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller, the Hornets hope Ball can take the next step towards becoming an elite point guard.
Ball was set to enter restricted free agency after this season had he not landed an extension.