Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball switched his jersey number, and tagged his brother Lonzo on Instagram to let him know No. 2 is available on the team.
The Charlotte Hornets used the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft on LaMelo Ball, and they reaped the benefits. The young guard helped lead the team into the NBA’s play-in round and walked away with the Rookie of the Year award. With a big second-year ahead of him, Ball is making some changes.
LaMelo revealed on his Instagram story that he will no longer wear the No. 2. In that very post, he tagged his older brother Lonzo to let him know that the number is now available in Charlotte. You can check the screen capture at this link.
Hornets: LaMelo Ball recruiting older brother Lonzo to Charlotte?
The tease was made by LaMelo because Lonzo is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. While the New Orleans Pelicans can match an offer sheet from another team, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the team has no intention of matching any significant offers. Additionally, Charania says that the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers are among the teams interested in Lonzo’s services.
Lonzo is coming off a great year with the Pelicans, where he averaged a career-high 14.6 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8. rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game. Additionally, Lonzo posted a field-goal percentage of 41.4 and a 3-point percentage of 37.8, both of which were career-bests.
While a family reunion would be an awesome thing to see, it might be hard for the Hornets to match any offers from a team that is in desperate need for a point guard this offseason, especially with multiple guards already on Charlotte’s roster.