An unexpected, once-promising 2020-21 season for the Charlotte Hornets has come to a complete halt after the franchise announced that star rookie LaMelo Ball would miss the remainder of the season with a fractured right wrist.
The timing of such an injury truly could not be worse. The Hornets were one of few potential “buyers” at the trade deadline in a year where teams have convinced themselves to clutch their assets in hopes of making the play-in tournament, but a franchise that just lost its most important player will have a harder time convincing itself to make a trade that bolsters the current roster.