Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball still has another three years left on his NBA contract, but he (like much of the NBA’s rising stars) will soon be in a position to secure a massive new payday that could make him one of the highest-paid athletes in the game.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, former NBA executive for the Brooklyn Nets, Ball is eligible to sign a two-year deal as early as this summer, but he’ll have a chance to sign for $300 million if he waits until next year. The catch? He needs to make one of the All-NBA teams in order to qualify.
“Ball has three years left and is eligible to sign a two-year, $119.2 million extension,” wrote Bobby Marks. “The first year starts in 2029-30. Considering that Ball has three years left on his contract, there should not be a sense of urgency to get a deal done. However, in the scenario that Ball earns All-NBA in 2026-27, he would become eligible to sign a four-year, $300 million extension next summer.”
LaMelo Ball is still in the middle of a 5-year, rookie-max extension with the Hornets worth up to $260 million. But if he meets the requirements, Ball could earn roughly $75 million a year through 2033. For reference, Stephen Curry was the league’s highest-paid player this season, with a salary of $59.6 million in 2025-26, while Joel Embiid was second with $55.2 million. The contract would be one of historic proportions for Ball, but it remains to be seen if he can make himself eligible.
While we can expect him to hold off extension talks until next summer, that unprecedented payday won’t happen unless he gets the nod as a top 15 player in the NBA. Fortunately for Melo, he’s not too far off from that mark, despite his controversial reputation. In 2025-26, his fifth season on the Hornets, he averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on 40.7% shooting and 36.8% shooting from three.
It was a statistical down year for Ball, but it also resulted in the Hornets’ best season since his arrival. Despite a rough start, Charlotte ended the 2025-26 campaign as the ninth seed in the East (44-38), just two games back from the sixth playoff spot. They made a push to the NBA play-in before ultimately losing to the Orlando Magic.
Going forward, it’s impossible to say what the Hornets have planned, but experts predict plenty of improvement from within. Besides LaMelo, who is only 24, the Hornets can rely on guys like Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Brandon Miller to all take steps forward. That’s not counting whoever they pick in the upcoming draft, with the 14th and 16th picks.
Whether that’s enough to lift the Hornets to prosperity remains to be seen, but we can expect a career year from their star point guard. With historic earnings at stake, Ball is on the clock to elevate his game and prove that he can be the guy who leads his team to glory. Amid all the trade rumors, his loyalty has never wavered, and he’ll have a chance to reap the benefits if he can prove he deserves it.
