LaMelo Ball’s future in Charlotte is no longer a quiet league rumor—it’s playing out in real time. Coming off the bench for the first time since 2021, Ball delivered 33 points and 12 assists in just 27 minutes, a performance that only sharpened questions about why the Hornets appear to be distancing themselves from their most talented player.

Following this, DeMarcus Cousins called out the Hornets for sabotaging LaMelo Ball’s career during the most recent episode of the Run It Back podcast alongside Michelle Beadle and Lou Williams. “We’ve seen so many examples in just this season alone, I have seen the Jonathan Kuminga situation, we have seen the Trae Young situation, we have seen the Ja Morant situation. This is literally teams killing the value of their own star,” DeMarcus Cousins said. “I think Perk (Kendrick Perkins) is onto something. There’s obviously something trending in the league where teams are willing to sabotage their star players. ”

Earlier, former NBA star turned analyst Kendrick Perks also voiced his thoughts about Ball, blaming the Hornets for sabotaging. “They’re on this bull—t. Let’s play Melo about 25-28 minutes a game, so his numbers won’t be high. So if they trade him, they won’t be trading a two-time All-Star. They will be trading a player that numbers went down. You see what I’m saying,” he said on The Road Trippin’ Show.

Per Perkins: LaMelo Ball should request a trade. Charlotte’s rebuild has shifted into high gear around young studs like Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, leaving Ball stuck in what feels like limbo.

At 24, he’s outproducing his role in a Hornets squad that’s pivoting hard to the future. Despite all the claims, Hornets HC calls it injury management.

Hornets HC Charles Lee reveals the reason behind LaMelo Ball coming off the bench

Charlotte Hornets head coach Chris Lee was asked about LaMelo Ball’s inclusion from the bench and the reasons behind it. He blamed it on the minutes restriction and a strategy of somehow integrating into the meaningful late-game minutes, which would only be possible if he came off the bench.

“I was just finding a way to get more creative with how we manage ‘Melo’s minutes in order to keep him in a good place health-wise,” Lee said after the defeat to the Pacers.

Meanwhile, both Perkins and Boogie believe that this is a trend across the NBA, where teams are undervaluing their players to reduce their opportunities for All-Star selections, while also reducing their salary escalations and lowering the price leverage their camp might have in the future.

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Cousins called Kerr’s repeated benching of Kuminga “self-sabotage,” especially in close losses like the 102-103 defeat to the Clippers, where Kuminga recorded another DNP.

He highlighted how this approach hurts wins—Kuminga’s 11.8 points per game in 25 minutes could have swayed tight games—and tanks his trade value ahead of the January 15 deadline.

Cousins and others like Chandler Parsons noted that playing him minimally now limits suitors’ views of his 6’7″ skill set, forcing the Warriors into suboptimal trades. The Warriors explored sign-and-trade options in the 2025 offseason but ultimately failed, leaving Kuminga restricted and undervalued.

Boogie even compares Ball’s situation with how the Golden State Warriors are treating Jonathan Kuminga. At least Ball is getting minutes off the bench for the Hornets and playing a significant role in their games; Kuminga, on the other hand, has been completely overlooked by the Dubs.

Even with injuries, speculations around his future, and lack of minutes on the court, the All-Star guard is still putting up 20 points, 7.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while averaging only 27.9 minutes per game across 28 contests this season.

Ball has been extremely committed to the Hornets even in the past, as he refuted trade speculations in November 2025. However, if he continues to feature off the bench in the upcoming games, then the situation may change drastically.

There’s a possibility that the Hornets may decide to eventually move on from the 24-year-old guard.