The LaMelo trade reminds me of the Gobert trade
A small market star is headed to Minnnesota. He has some off-court issues. People don't like his attitude. The fanbase he's leaving is gutted to see him go. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
There are so many parallels between the Gobert and LaMelo trades.
Rudy was beloved in Utah, but disliked elsewhere. Same for LaMelo with Charlotte. Covid, Lavar Ball, speeding, their general attitudes.
Here is the other thing they have in common: They both single-handedly raise the Wolves' floor on one side of the ball.
I don't need to explain what Gobert did for this team. We all got to see what Jazz fans saw in him. LaMelo can bring that type of gravity on the offensive side of the ball.
Luckily, there is a stat that shows exactly how much a player affects their team's offense: On-Off Plus/Minus.
LaMelo Ball was tied for first in the league with Nikola Jokić at +13.
The Hornets were the best offense in the league with him on the floor and the worst offense in the league with him on the bench.
LaMelo was 7th in the league in EPM. The players in front of him were Wemby, Jokić, Kawhi, SGA, Giannis, and Luka. That is absurdly elite company. All are essentially good enough to get MVP consideration. The only players above him for offensive EPM are Jokic and Kawhi.
LaMelo completely transforms the Timberwolves offense the way Gobert did our defense. I absolutely love this trade. And like with Gobert, I think Wolves fans are about to find out just how good LaMelo actually is.