11
Jul
Aussies in the NBA
Running with the Wolves: Green traded to Minnesota
LaMelo Ball #1 and Josh Green #10 of the Charlotte Hornets celebrate a 103-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on March 10, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Soobum Im/Getty Images
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Josh Green has found a new home, traded with LaMelo Ball to join Anthony Edwards at the Timberwolves
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Aussie wing Josh Green has been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with teammate and former NBL Next Star LaMelo Ball.
The four-team trade send Ball, Green and rookie Isaiah Evans to Minnesota, Julius Randle and first-round pick Joshua Jefferson land with the Brooklyn Nets, Naz Reid and Mouhamadou Gueye head to the Charlotte Hornets along with significant draft compensation, and Nic Claxton to Josh Giddey's Chicago Bulls.
Ball, 24, and Green, 25, move to a revamped Timberwolves team with general manager Tim Connolly reshaping the roster around superstar Anthony Edwards despite two Western Conference Finals appearances.
Australian centre Rocco Zikarsky is a two-way player for the Timberwolves. Zikarsky, 19, is playing for Minnesota in the 2026 Summer League.
Minnesota were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs after beating Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and traded away scoring big man Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in a salary dump before the NBA Draft.
The Timberwolves needed a secondary playmaker behind Edwards – a role Ball fits perfectly as the Hornets go in a different direction after making the Play-In Tournament and having a successful season under Charles Lee.
Charlotte are loaded at the guard and wing positions, leaving Ball and three-and-d specialist Green to be dispensable, and needed size to bolster their roster, which they acquired in the draft as well as by bringing in former Sixth Man of the Year in Reid from Minnesota.
Minnesota will be Green's third home in the NBA after being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and then being traded to the Hornets in 2024.
The 25-year-old Sydney guard had an injury-riddled 2025-26 season with Charlotte, playing just 58 games after missing the start of the campaign due to shoulder surgery.
Green had his worst statistical season since his rookie year, playing just 15.7 minutes per game and averaging 4.3 points but still shot 42% from the three-point line.
The Australian Boomers Olympic bronze medallist from the 2021 Tokyo Games will provide much-needed defensive prowess and three-point shooting alongside Jaden McDaniels, who starred for the Timberwolves and coach Chris Finch in the 2026 playoffs.
