Hornets just made a signing that explains the LaMelo Ball trade

Hornets just made a signing that explains the LaMelo Ball trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Right after the NBA Draft ended on Wednesday night, reports came out that the Hornets were actively listening to trade offers on star guard LaMelo Ball.
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It took less than 12 hours for them to agree to a trade, sending him to the Timberwolves in exchange for a package mainly consisting of Naz Reid and picks.
It was an interesting move for the Hornets to make, leaving people scratching their heads, but another decision they made a couple of hours after the trade brought clarity to that trade.
Shams Charania reported Thursday morning that the Hornets agreed to a contract extension with guard Coby White. The deal is three-years/$74 million.
White was acquired by Charlotte at the trade deadline a few months ago, and this extension shows how much they value him.
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MORE: Celtics could still make a trade with the Bucks, despite not getting Giannis
It appears they’ve decided to make White one of the franchise’s key guards going forward, and thought getting a haul of picks back for Ball would be beneficial down the line.
The Hornets haven’t made the playoffs (past the play-in) since 2016, but showed at the end of last season that they’ve started to turn the page and begin a new chapter.
They have a great foundation of young players with high ceilings, including Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
Trading away Ball might have been a risky move, and could even delay the process of getting back to being a top team in the East, but Charlotte seems to have a good long-term plan in place.
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Don’t expect Charlotte to be done making moves this offseason, because they have assets and trade exceptions to work with.

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