As the Charlotte Hornets once again sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, LaMelo Ball’s future with the organization is becoming less certain.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (starts at 4:25 mark), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst expressed skepticism that there would be a “humongous market” for Ball in a trade.

This comes on the heels of Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko reporting on Thursday that Ball has “grown increasingly frustrated with the organization and is open to a trade away from the franchise.”

Ball seemed to dispute Iko’s report by posting a clown emoji on X.

There are several reasons that teams would be hesitant to add Ball right now. One of the biggest, as Windhorst noted, is his lack of availability.

Ball has already missed six of Charlotte’s first 15 games this season. He was unavailable for 145 out of a possible 246 games in the previous three seasons. His only season with more than 51 games played was during the 2021-22 campaign (75 starts).

In addition to Ball’s extensive injury history, he is still owed a lot of money on his current contract. The 24-year-old is in the second season of a five-year, $203.9 million extension signed in July 2023.

Ball has also been criticized throughout his career for his lack of defensive impact. Hornets head coach Charles Lee even said early last season that his staff was going challenge him to improve on that end of the court.

Lee kept Ball on the bench for the final 4:32 of regulation in Wednesday’s 127-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He finished with 18 points on 5-of-21 shooting with nine assists and six turnovers in 27 minutes.

As an offensive player, Ball has shown a lot of skill that could be harnessed in the right situation. He is currently averaging at least 20 points and 7.0 assists per game for the fifth consecutive season.

Ball’s efficiency isn’t what it once was, as he’s currently shooting a career-low 38.5 percent overall and 29.8 percent from three on 9.3 attempts per game.

The Hornets need to find a long-term direction in the midst of what is shaping up to be another lost season. They have lost seven of their last eight games, dropping to 4-11 overall.