Tag: Lonzo Ball

Bulls provide brutal Lonzo Ball update : ‘Not coming back next season’

Chicago Bulls executive Arturas Karnisovas just gave a new update on Lonzo Ball, and it’s absolutely terrible.

Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls took a major swing, pushing their chips on the table in an attempt to form a playoff-caliber team. They ended their rebuild by trading for Nikola Vucevic, and they followed up that move by signing DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball that summer.

Since then, the Bulls have won just one playoff game. DeRozan has revived his career, making two All-Star teams, Caruso has been named to the All-Defensive First Team, but Ball has fallen flat. Just 35 games into his Bulls career, Ball went down with a knee injury and has yet to get back onto the court.

Now, it’s looking like he won’t be back in a Bulls uniform for a long, long time. According to Bulls Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas, Chicago doesn’t expect Ball to be back next season.

“Going into the offseason, our expectations is that he’s not coming back next season,” Karnisovas said via Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.

This is devastating news for the Bulls, but there were already rumblings that Ball may miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season. Chicago desperately needs a starting-caliber point guard, but they will have to move forward under the impression that Ball can’t be that guy.

In the 35 games he played, Ball looked like a perfect fit alongside the rest of Chicago’s core, but he just can’t get healthy. At the very least, Ball is set to miss all of next year, but at worst, there’s a chance he never steps back onto the court again.

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3 Lonzo Ball trades to help the Chicago Bulls to move on

If the Chicago Bulls decide to move on from Lonzo Ball, these three trades could be solid options.

After a long rebuild, the Chicago Bulls finally pushed their chips onto the table two years ago. They traded for Nikola Vucevic at the 2021 trade deadline, and the following summer, they signed DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball. Unfortunately, the latter of those three hasn’t been able to stay healthy.

Thirty-five games into his Bulls tenure, Ball went down with a knee injury, and he has yet to return to the court. Now, it’s looking like he will miss all of next season, too, and some even believe he may never play again. With that in mind, would Chicago be better off trading Ball now?

The Bulls need to move forward under the assumption that they won’t have Ball. In turn, trading his huge contract and other assets for other pieces could be beneficial. His value is undoubtedly at an all-time low, but Chicago could still get some sort of return. With that in mind, here are three potential Ball trades Chicago could make this offseason.

Suggested trade sees Bulls flip Lonzo Ball for $125 million guard

This mock trade would see the Chicago Bulls flip Lonzo Ball for a new, $125 million point guard.

Despite middling success over the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls seem determined to win with the current core. Arturas Karnisovas is intent on keeping the team together despite rumblings of a potential rebuild. However, if that’s the plan, he will need to make serious adjustments to the roster.

Lonzo Ball‘s injury has been a dark cloud over the team for the past two years, and if the Bulls want to compete at a high level, they need a point guard to pair with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Eric Koreen of The Athletic suggested a trade that would see Chicago flip Ball for a new point guard.

Fred VanVleet will be a free agent this summer, but Koreen wrote a mock trade in which the Toronto Raptors would sign and trade him to the Bulls.

3 free agents to help the Chicago Bulls replace Lonzo Ball

As the Chicago Bulls look for help at the point guard position to replace Lonzo Ball’s production, these free agents could be solid targets.

Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls committed to winning. They abruptly ended their rebuild and traded for Nikola Vucevic, signaling their desire to push forward and make a run at the playoffs. That following summer, they signed DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball, but things haven’t gone quite according to plan.

Ball played just 35 games for the Bulls in 2021-22 before suffering a knee injury and has yet to step back on the court since. And now, it’s looking like he’ll miss the entirety of next season, too. Chicago can’t afford to use Ball’s injury as an excuse for their mediocrity, though.

Instead, the Bulls need to move forward under the assumption that they won’t have Ball at the helm. They desperately need a playmaking point guard. It’s unlikely they will find anyone perfect to replace Ball, but there will be some decent free-agent options available to them this summer.

With that in mind, here are three free agents the Bulls could target to help replace Ball’s production.

The Lakers may have dodged a bullet by trading Lonzo Ball in 2019

More than ever, it looks like the Lakers were right when they got rid of Lonzo Ball in the Anthony Davis trade.

When the Los Angeles Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, fans had very high hopes for him.

He was a local product, having grown up in Chino Hills about half an hour away from downtown Los Angeles, and he had done well in his lone season of college basketball at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In his first two seasons, Ball showed promise, but he was never able to put it together. In the summer of 2019, he was shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans in the trade that brought the Lakers Anthony Davis.

While fans were excited about Davis’ arrival, they were sad to see Ball go. Many still have a soft spot for him and wish he were a Laker.

The guard has improved his game since leaving L.A., but he hasn’t played since tearing the meniscus in his left knee in January 2022, and his current team, the Chicago Bulls, believes his NBA career is over.

If Lakers fans have felt letting go of Ball was a mistake, there is increasing proof the team made the right decision with him.

Chicago Bulls privately believe Lonzo Ball won’t ‘ever play again’

As Lonzo Ball continues to navigate his current injury woes, the Chicago Bulls privately believe he won’t ever play again.

It’s been a tumultuous two seasons for the Chicago Bulls since they made moves to push for the playoffs. In 2021, they shifted forward, trading for Nikola Vucevic and signing DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. They made the postseason that year, but this past season, they were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.

Chicago got off to a hot start in 2021, but ever since Ball went down with a knee injury, they’ve struggled. The injury held him out the entire season half of the 2021-22 season, as well as all of the 2022-23 season. Now, it’s looking like he could miss all of next year, too, and according to Dan Bernstein of 670 The Score, the Bulls believe he may never play again.

During a recent edition of the Organizations Win Championships podcast, Bernstein revealed that Chicago privately believes Ball won’t ever step foot on an NBA court again, as relayed by Daniel Greenberg.

“The Chicago Bulls privately don’t think that it’s likely Lonzo Ball will ever play again, per @dan_bernstein on Organizations Win Championship Podcast,” Greenberg tweeted.

Ball appeared in 35 games for the Bulls in the 2021-22 season before going down with an injury. He has yet to appear in a game since then, and Chicago’s point guard position has been a revolving door ever since.

The Bulls desperately need a point guard to lead their offense, and Ball is the perfect player to do so. Unfortunately, he has gotten hit with some of the worst injury luck in the league.

All Ball can do now is hope for the best.

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Brandon Roy has advice for Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball

Former NBA star Brandon Roy had some advice for Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who is dealing with a brutal knee injury.

The past two seasons have been a roller coaster for Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball. In the 2021 NBA offseason, Ball signed on with Chicago with plans to be the star point guard of their new-look roster. And at first, everything was great. Alongside Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, Ball and the Bulls got off to a hot start.

But that’s when the injury issues kicked in. Ball was sidelined with a knee injury just 35 games into his Bulls career, and two years later, he has yet to return to the court. Now, reports indicate that he could miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season, too. The 25-year-old guard recently got a message from former NBA star Brandon Roy, who also dealt with injuries throughout his career.

During a chat with Joshua M. Hicks of The Bigs, Roy expressed that Ball needs to just take things as they come without having any expectations.

“[Ball] has to be realistic with himself and what he’s going to be able to do,” Roy said. “It might not be at the level of an All-Star point guard but there are some things he can adjust to his game and he can still help a team.”

When he went down, Ball was having an amazing year and the best shooting season of his young career. But the harsh reality is that he may never be able to get back to where he was.

All Ball can do is embrace the road to recovery and try to be the best version of himself.

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Chicago Bulls can’t ‘count on’ Lonzo Ball to get back to normal

With his lengthy injury history, the Chicago Bulls simply cannot count on Lonzo Ball.

The past two years have been rough for the Chicago Bulls. They took a huge swing when they traded for Nikola Vucevic at the 2021 NBA trade deadline, and they backed it up by signing DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso the following summer. But since then, all they have is one first-round exit to show for their roster aggressiveness.

While their middling success has largely been the team’s middle-of-the-pack play, Ball’s brutal injury luck has also played a huge part in their struggles. Despite signing with the team during the 2021 offseason, Ball has only appeared in 35 total games for the Bulls, and they can’t really count on him returning anytime soon. At least, that’s what NBA.com’s Sam Smith believes.

During a recent mailbag article, Smith was asked about a potential Gordon Hayward trade, but the fan writing in expressed their concerns with the forward’s injury concerns. Smith pointed out that if Hayward’s injury issues are concerning, then Ball’s should be, too.

“I’m not sure I’d count on Ball then, either,” Smith wrote. “I guess you can hope, but that’s a long time away and a lot of recent surgeries. You hope for his sake he can return. But it seems unlikely you’d ask or expect him to be that Lonzo.”

When Ball first joined the team at the start of the 2021-22 season, the Bulls got off to a hot start. Unfortunately, he missed all of this season and is set to miss all of next year, too.

Ball may return to the court eventually, but the Bulls can’t count on him to be the same player. And they certainly can’t base their future plans on his health.

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Suggested trade sees Bulls ditch Lonzo Ball for $31 million forward

In this proposed trade, the Chicago Bulls would give up on Lonzo Ball in an attempt to bolster their roster via trade.

Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls made a huge trade for big man Nikola Vucevic, and the following offseason, they signed DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. However, they only have one playoff appearance to show for it, and it ended in a first-round exit.

Heading into this summer, they have some big-time decisions to make as to whether or not they want to keep their current core intact or blow things up and start over. Well, a recently-proposed trade from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz would see them commit to the former, as it would land Gordon Hayward in Chicago by way of a deal with the Charlotte Hornets.

Hayward has dealt with his fair share of injury issues over the past few years, but his talent is undeniable. Plus, he will be entering the final year of his contract, so it wouldn’t be a long-term commitment.

Here are the full details of Swartz’s proposed trade:

Bulls receive: Gordon Hayward

Hornets receive: Lonzo Ball, Dalen Terry, Derrick Jones Jr.

Obviously, there might be some hesitation from the side of Chicago when it comes to giving up on Ball. But considering he’s been even more injury-prone than Hayward over the past two years, it’s really not that crazy.

Dalen Terry showed a ton of promise in the G League, but if the Bulls want to win now, they shouldn’t hesitate to throw him in a deal that would see them improve their roster. The same goes for Derrick Jones Jr., as he’s become a fringe rotation player.

Hayward appeared in 50 games this past season and played 31.5 minutes per contest. He averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 47.5% shooting from the field and 32.5% shooting from distance.

All in all, Hayward’s addition to the Bulls’ lineup could create a starting five of Caruso, Zach LaVine, Hayward, DeRozan, and Vucevic. With guys like Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, and others off the bench, it would likely give them a better chance to compete in the Eastern Conference.

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Paul George says Lonzo is more talented than LaMelo

The Clippers All-Star showed some love to the Ball brothers on his podcast.

Watching Lonzo Ball on the basketball court has been hard to come by over the last two seasons for the Chicago Bulls.

Ball has battled through a left knee injury that has seen pain and discomfort linger, forcing the Bulls point guard into two additional procedures, with the latest potentially leaving him on the sideline for the entire 2023-24 season.

And yet, Lonzo is still getting shown love from his peers. On the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the Clippers All-Star chose Lonzo over his brother, LaMelo, in who was more talented.

“I would say Lonzo’s more pure talent than LaMelo,” George said. “What can’t Lonzo do? He can guard. He can shoot. He can play-make. His IQ. He can rebound great for his position. What can’t Lonzo Ball do?”

One of George’s co-host’s didn’t tend to agree but George stood his ground in defending Lonzo’s talent.

Check out the full clip below.

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