LaMelo Ball plays his future 'by the day' after Hornets' latest losing season: 'The main thing is winning'
LaMelo Ball is eligible for a massive contract extension this summer
The Charlotte Hornets have been pretty terrible since selecting LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick in 2020.
The team failed to have a winning record twice in Ball’s three seasons with the team, and barely had one last year. They haven't been to the playoffs since 2016, either, which is now the longest active postseason drought in the NBA.
Ball didn’t sound solid about his future in Charlotte on Monday, either. Instead, he “plays it by the day.”
“I love it here,” Ball said, via The Associated Press. “I can’t really tell the future. We’ll just see how it goes and go from there.”
Though the Hornets have struggled, Ball has only gotten better. The former Rookie of the Year averaged a career-best 23.3 points, 8.4 assists and 6.4 rebounds this season. He only played in 36 games, however, while dealing with numerous left ankle injuries and a fractured right ankle that needed season-ending surgery.
The Hornets went just 27-55, which was the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, and missed the playoffs for a seventh-straight season.
"He badly wants to win. When you're at his level, there are certain expectations,” coach Steve Clifford said, via The Associated Press. “You're going to be compared to the other point guards his age that have had not incredible playoff success but have had some.
"It's important to his career."
Ball will enter the final year of his initial four-year, $35 million deal with the franchise next fall. He’s eligible for a five-year, $202.5 million extension this summer. Despite the team’s struggles, that’s a lot of money to turn down.
The Hornets have five picks in the draft this summer, including two in the first round, and will be in the mix for a top lottery pick. They also have about $40 million in salary cap space available.
And with owner Michael Jordan set to sell his controlling stake of the franchise in the near future, it’s clear things are changing — or at least can change — in Charlotte.
But in the end, it all comes down to how the team plays on the court. Nothing else really matters.
“The main thing is winning,” Ball said, via The Associated Press. “Life is better when you win.”
