The Minnesota Timberwolves did not ease into the offseason. On June 25, they sent Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks to Charlotte for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green. It was a bold, expensive swing, and it immediately raised the most interesting question of the summer: can Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball become the best backcourt in the NBA?
The case for optimism is real. Edwards is coming off the season that erased any remaining doubt about his star power, averaging 28.8 points per game with the kind of explosive, physical scoring that very few players in the league can match. He has a step-back jumper that is unguardable in isolation, and his defense, once a question mark, has become a genuine weapon. He is an alpha who wants the ball, but he has grown into a player who understands when to let the game come to him.
LaMelo brings something Edwards has never truly had alongside him in a co-star who can run an offense. His 2025-26 season in Charlotte was his best in years, producing averages of 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds across 72 games. Just staying on the floor that often was an encouraging sign for a player with a persistent injury history. At 24, standing 6-foot-7, he is one of the most creative passers in the game, a threat from 30 feet out, and a matchup problem for smaller guards on the wing. When LaMelo has the ball and the defense collapses, Edwards gets to attack a compromised defense. When Edwards draws the double team, LaMelo has the vision to punish it. In transition, their combination of size, speed, and creativity should overwhelm opposing defenses.
On paper it looks like a dream pairing. The honest question is whether it works in practice.
Both players are naturally ball-dominant. There will be moments, probably more than a few early in the season, where the offense stalls because neither wants to be the one making the simple play. LaMelo's defensive effort has always been inconsistent, and a team built around Edwards needs its second star pulling weight on that end. The trade also cost Minnesota Naz Reid, whose frontcourt versatility quietly held a lot of things together. The Wolves may need another move before they are a true title contender.
The competition in the West does not care about upside. Oklahoma City counters with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, one of the league's most complete duos. San Antonio has Victor Wembanyama surrounded by an increasingly dangerous backcourt, while the Nuggets, Mavericks, and Warriors remain legitimate threats in the conference. Even in the East, the reigning champion Knicks are led by Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, with Mikal Bridges giving them one of the NBA's best two-way wing duos.
What Edwards and LaMelo have that none of those pairs can match is the combination of star power, entertainment value, and overall ceiling. Two top-three picks from the 2020 draft, both 24, both capable of taking over a game in ways that make highlights feel inevitable. If the chemistry clicks, if LaMelo buys into the defensive end, and if coach Chris Finch finds the right balance, this could become the best backcourt in basketball.
The Timberwolves have made their bet. It is a big one. The 2026-27 season will tell us whether it was genius or just another failed gamble in a franchise history full of them.
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