Around the league, the Los Angeles Lakers will have to hope that teams are willing to move on from some of their better players. There’s an expectation surrounding the NBA that the Chicago Bulls will be one of the teams interested in selling over the offseason, and a potential player may become available in the form of former Lakers fan favorite Lonzo Ball.
Ball was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal involving Anthony Davis, a trade that was certainly the right one for Los Angeles for many reasons.
Currently playing on a $10 million contract next season, Ball is viewed as a trade candidate around the league. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, there’s a possibility that the Lakers could be interested in acquiring him via a trade.
“I do, I think they would be,” Buha said. “It’s just a matter of what his price is, and you have to factor in the health and the history there of just, you can’t even pencil him in for 60 games. So whatever you’re giving up for him, there has to be some level of a discount, or you’re factoring in, like, this dude might just play 40, 50 games. He’s a guy you have to load manage. Like, how can we load manage him to get to mid-April in one piece?”
Ball’s Future Outlook
Ball is a very good player, and somebody the Los Angeles Lakers would probably love to have. He’s a great defender when healthy and has shown the ability to hit open shots.
However, the injuries are tough to ignore at this stage of his career. Ball looks healthier, but he isn’t the same player he once was, whether it be due to his production or lack of minutes and games in recent years. Ball averaged just 7.6 points per game and played in only 35 games this past season. That was the first 35 games he’s played in since the 2021-2022 campaign.
According to the Bulls team writer, the team could look to trade him, but they noted that Ball will likely be a tough sell due to the injuries. If that’s the case, the Lakers might be able to get them for a very good price.
“I’ve heard rumors about Ayo in trade to perhaps facilitate a deal, though I see his market very limited this summer because of the shoulder surgery and the uncertainty of when he’ll be not only ready to return but in position to take the regular contact. Which would limit his value, so I’d look elsewhere in trade; perhaps Lonzo Ball, though again he’s missed so many games even if it hasn’t lately been the knee. It’s possible the Bulls propose a lot this summer and look pretty much the same for next season,” Sam Smith wrote.
Could the Lakers Capitalize on a Bulls Fire Sale?
While the Chicago Bulls are expected to sell, that doesn’t mean they’ll move everybody on their roster. However, according to a recent report, Ball is expected to be available by the Bulls.
With the Los Angeles Lakers needing another guard to run their second unit and somebody who can defend the way he does, there’s reason to believe this type of move could work out for both sides.
“As soon as he signed that contract, he was up for trade, because that contract is so trade-friendly,” Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times said during an appearance on “670 The Score.” “It’s basically a one year, $10 million deal. The team has the option for the next 10 million for year number two.”
