Lonzo Ball’s free agency is set to be one of the more interesting of the entire offseason. While Ball has spoken of a desire to return to New Orleans – and his teammates have expressed a desire to have him back – the franchise is under a cap crunch and Ball may price his way out of the Big Easy, intentionally or not.
If Ball is to leave New Orleans, multiple teams will be in line for his services with the two at the front being the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. The former was the team that chased him hardest at the trade deadline while the latter team has been consistently linked with Ball throughout his career.
The relationship between the Ball family and the Knicks is an interesting one. In the months leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft in which LaMelo was the No. 3 pick, father LaVar spoke about his desire not only to see his youngest son play in New York, but all of his sons.
Many of the links, then, between Lonzo and the Knicks have been indirect ones, But according to a report from Marc Berman of the New York Post, he may have some interest himself in playing in the Big Apple.
“Leon Rose knows Lavar Ball from their past when CAA repped the family. The father’s eccentricities are not an issue. Sources believe Lavar, a former tight end on the Jets’ practice squad, wants all his sons on Broadway, and the Knicks are on Lonzo’s radar.”
There is another connection between the Knicks and Ball in former Laker Julius Randle. Though he and Ball played together for just one season, the two developed a strong bond that they still hold today.
Still, it seems like it would take an unlikely set of circumstances for Ball to turn down New Orleans or the Pelicans to pass on matching an offer sheet and Ball to end up in New York or anywhere but New Orleans.
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