Multiple teams have checked in on the Bulls‘ asking price for Lonzo Ball, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). While it’s unclear if the Lakers are one of those teams, Jovan Buha of The Athletic believes they could make a run at the 27-year-old, whom the Lakers drafted No. 2 overall back in 2017.
“I think Lonzo is someone that’s going to be on their radar, and I think depending on the price if you could get him for a second or two seconds, I think that’s an interesting swing, and also someone with that 6’6” frame that could potentially I think be similar to Bruce Brown, check a couple boxes,” Buha told Jason Timpf on the Hoops Tonight podcast (YouTube video link).
Ball is currently on a $21.4MM expiring deal. Across 24 healthy contests this season, the 6’6″ guard is averaging 6.5 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds a night in 20.5 minutes per.
” … He’s bulked up a little bit throughout his career, so he can guard twos and even some smaller threes and potentially be part of a one-through-three switching scheme,” Buha continued (hat tip to Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report). “And then offensively I think especially coming off the bench as a secondary ball-handler, playmaker and also a spot-up shooter, I think he’s someone who’s an interesting gamble for them.”
Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN took stock of the Lakers’ projected deadline plans. Even though the fifth-seeded Lakers are currently just three games ahead of the No. 11 Warriors in the Western Conference’s playoff race, sources tell Bontemps and Windhorst that the Lakers front office hasn’t shown any signs of aggression as of late.
L.A. has been reluctant in recent years to include any future first-round draft selections in a deal and it doesn’t appear that stance has changed, per ESPN’s duo. When the team moved D’Angelo Russell last month, it surrendered its lone big expiring contract, which will make it more difficult to complete additional trades.
Bontemps and Windhorst opine that if the Lakers make another move before this season’s February 6 deadline, it could be a relatively modest deal, in line with the team’s acquisition for Dorian Finney-Smith. That lines up with recent reporting from Buha.
Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this report.
If you want first round picks, you don’t call the Lakers
You still on that? They have 2 tradeable 1st rounders. You can get them for the right player.
That player isn’t Zo
Ball is the right player for tickets sales. UCLA?
Let’s say Bulls buy him out, he would be a perfect fit for Lakers.
Nope
Hopefully spurs,hornets or grizz.
Spurs would be interesting
Lonzo’s return has been as good a story as it gets, but at the moment there have to be many better and cheaper options.
He seems like a fun buyout flier for a team where he can show hes healthy in a part time role and earn himself an ok contract for next year to show he can play a full healthy season while getting back to like 28 min a night to get one last multi year deal.
They might be considering him on the buy-out market :)
Because there are many reasons I think he will get bought out if they don’t manage to trade him:
– He will be an unrestricted free agent
– He hasn’t shown enough to have much sign-and-trade-value for the Bulls (salary will be maximum Mid-Level-Exception?)
– The Bulls are tanking
He makes to much for them to sign in a buyout because theyre over the apron and he makes more than the MLE. The new rules make it so you have to be below the apron to sign better buyout players.
These guys be writing anything for clicks
Lonzo makes 21M (Expiring), so let’s look at the comparable salaries
Rui: 17M (2 year deal)
Vincent: 11M (2 year deal)
Vando: 10.7M (4 year deal)
Wood: 3M (expiring)
Hayes/Reddish: 2.5M (expiring)
There’s no way the Lakers are getting close unless they’re trading Rui w/ the intent of making Lonzo a starter. (My guess is they can do better for Rui)
Bulls are only taking some of those bad contracts if they’re sending Patrick Williams (18M, five years) back (at which point this is more than just a low cost flier on Lonzo).
If the Lakers trade for Patrick Williams, AD will ask for a trade and Pelinka could be fired
You beat me to it :)
Don’t think they will do it indeed. And you never know that Ball reaches a buy-out?
If Vanderbilt and/or Vincent could help facilitate a Beal/Middleton/LaVine/Butler/… trade, then maybe Lakers could be lucky enough to get Ball…
Agree with all your thoughts but don’t underestimate Lakers front office stupidity to make an unnecessary move
It be a nice get for Chi, getting a perpetual (50%fg 40% 3) guy in Rui to play the 4 on economical usage. If CHI dangled the carrot with no draft picks either way I don’t trust Rob and co to make hard calls and say no
Rui-JHS-Wood works for Zo THT financially
** I like Lonzo, it be cool if he could somehow land his bird rights in Mia as part of the Jimmy trade, Mia would be a great next stop for him imo
This has to be a complete Joke. For three reasons
Lonzo is damaged goods. His knees are shot
He can’t shoot the “3” period. Never could, never will
He ain’t his brother so leave him in Chicago to rot.
He is shooting guard well and his knee is getting stronger. He made some big cuts the other night.
His knee is a concern, but he fixed his shot a long time ago now and has been a good 3pt shooter. He just probably shouldnt be played over 20 min right now so he isnt a starter. Hes your 16 min a game second unit engine in the playoffs.
What could that trade look like?
Gabe Vincent + Jared Vanderbilt + 7,24 million cash + their two 2025 2nd round picks for Lonzo Ball + Horton-Tucker would be a steal… But just getting rid of Vanderbilt would take more than those two 2nd round picks I guess…
Only alternative salary-matching seems Hachimura. With Hachimura going into their trade exception & creating a 21,4 million trade exception. But the Lakers don’t really want to trade him (see Sports Illustrated a few hours ago).
Could obviously also be part of a big multi-team trade…
They could do a pick swap still on at least one which would be worth less than there unprotected first but more than a couple seconds.
Rui JHS Wood works for Lonzo and Tht /or Craig)
Id assume it be along those lines
Big pass imo tho
Vincent, Hood-S and Wood for Ball and Craig?
Ball is finished. Time to get a pod-cast.
Bron literally has two yrs at best. This and next. And it’s not guaranteed. Players get old overnight. Why in the world would they go after damaged goods.
Just what the Lakers need. Another player that can’t shoot.