Although the Bulls have received trade interest in Lonzo Ball, they’re not eager to move the veteran point guard and wouldn’t be looking to buy him out of his expiring contract if he remains in Chicago beyond Thursday’s deadline, sources tell Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
According to Stein, the Bulls actually have some interest in re-signing Ball beyond his current deal, which pays him approximately $21.4MM this season.
Ball, who missed two-and-a-half NBA seasons while undergoing a series of surgeries to address a troublesome knee injury, made his comeback in the fall and has enjoyed a successful bounce-back season.
While his numbers – 7.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game – are career lows across the board and his shooting percentages – 36.9% from the floor, 34.8% on three-pointers – are below his usual rates, Ball has been a positive contributor beyond the box score. The Bulls have been 10.5 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court than when he’s not.
More importantly, the former No. 2 overall pick hasn’t had any setbacks related to his knee and has seen his minutes limit steadily increase over the course of the season. He logged a season-high 28 minutes on Sunday vs. Detroit.
Due to Ball’s injury history and his relatively high cap hit, the Bulls are extremely unlikely to acquire more than second-round draft capital in any deal involving the 27-year-old unless they take back an unwanted contract or two.
It’s easy to make a case that hanging onto Ball’s Bird rights and re-signing him in the offseason (for far less than the four years and $80MM he got back in 2021) would be better for the Bulls in the long run than adding a second-round pick or two. He remains eligible to sign an in-season extension, so Chicago could even get something done before the summer if he’s not traded.
Of course, this could also be a leverage play by the Bulls in an effort to improve the trade offers coming in for Ball. Stein acknowledges as much, but says (via Twitter) that this is the direction Chicago has been trending with Ball as Thursday’s deadline nears.
Why!!!!!!! Giddy, Coby and Ayo are PGs
The Bulls are incompetent, they gave Patrick Williams 90 million….they traded Lauri Gafford Zach Demar Caruso and got P Giddey back, this is an unserious organization that real fans boycott
I’ve been boycotting them and the Sox for two years now
joparx, that’s a little negative, no?
First, you didn’t mention the strong veteran leadership added with Zach Collins and Kevin Huerter.
Second, Bulls front office says they’re “not done making moves”. Be thankful these guys don’t rest on their laurels.
Aristotle that has to be sarcasm
damn i didnt even realize.. i knew it was bad but when u actually read it it sounds insane.
P Giddey lmafo
Coby and Ayo are not Point guards lol
Lonzo is fine as a backup.
Add Jones too that list and don’t forget about Carter either
Da Bulls.
Ball is not the same player. Fools to resign him. I doubt he lasts thru next contract. Best to move his contract now. Get value for it. Or just let it expire or buy him out. Ayo should be playing instead of Ball.
Dumb. Get something of value for him NOW!
This is just bulls way of saying nobody wants to give up anything of value for him. Ball just isn’t the same player anymore
Wow is Arturas finally learning how to use the media to drive up leverage? Give it a couple years and maybe he won’t lose every deal he’s involved in!
Listened to 670 the score last night with Cowley, he says they’re going to prioritize Giddey as PG rest of the year and let him hit the open market and if the market says he’s worth over $20M, they’ll let him walk. They want to resign Ayo and trade Coby go as well. This is how franchises should be in the hands of competent highly intelligent sports minds and not just businessmen like Jerry.
raz427 , that’s probably the right approach to Giddey going forward.
But, looking back, that would mean Bulls gave up Alex Caruso for only 1 year of Giddey. Everybody in basketball felt that the Bulls should have gotten more for Caruso, but AK insisted Giddey was the real deal.
Letting Giddey walk after 1 year would be humiliating, which is why I doubt Bulls do it.
It’s a wait and see game with Giddey. Everyone knows his defensive struggles which is why AKME haven’t really committed to him financially, which I guess is a good sign, then again knowing them they might commit 4/100M and to save face on that deal.
I don’t understand why they’d move White. I really want Detroit to grab him. He’s gotten better each year, has very reasonable contract and is a perfect complement to Cade. What am I missing with him?
Nothing is wrong with him, it’s just they prefer Ayo more because his ability to play 3 positions defensively. Coby has made strides on his defense and playmaking skills but they won’t give out $30M AAV to someone on a 25-30 win team much less two guys (Ayo). That’s why ownership wants Ayo over Coby. Pretty soon we’ll have a statue outside of the UC for Ayo’s contributions to the hometown team. It’s stupid choosing him over Coby, but if he goes anywhere I’d send to him to Orlando they have a nice crop of young guards.
He is on a cheap contract and the max they can give him is less than his unrestricted market rate. So risk of him leaving for nothing is high.
They have White’s bird rights. They can give him whatever they want. Only restrictions are on signing an extension before he hits free agency.
Why? He is not someone that you can build around. If you are going to tear it down and rebuild then do it already.
He’s less annoying to watch than Lamemelo, but that shot motion, yikes. Pedophile Giddey, overpaid Patrick. Getting nothing for Lavine. No defense Vooch.
Feels bad to watch such a stories franchise flail around.
Giddey is no pedo. The girl’s own mother said she was a liar. Go cast your stones elsewhere!
Bulls should resign Lonzo Ball. His number won’t be $20+ million per. Lonzo elevates the play of everyone on the floor. That has always been his game. If rule changes hadn’t taken out the traditional point guard, Lonzo is the type of player you win a lot of games with. Lonzo may also be the Bulls best shot at getting a “franchise” player. A lot of high-profile guys like to play together. Should LaMelo Ball get tired of losing in Charlotte, perhaps he could force his way to Chicago with his brother. A willingness to sign Gelo Ball, would pretty much seal that one. Gelo is about to drop another banger “Can you please”. Props to LaVar Ball. He went 3 for 3 with his boys. Lonzo is also a great mentor for rebuilding process. Ayo is also a no-brainer to bring back. Ayo has been solid and is a 1st class human being. Coby White should perhaps get a shot at player without Giddey, who takes the ball out of his hands, and Zach LaVine. Coby White played his best basketball when LaVine was hurt last year. See if he can duplicate it again.
Do you watch the Bulks. Hes got no hops. And no quickness, he can’t push off. He settles for shots. His D is ???? dont know where it is. Bulls play no D.
Haven’t Bulls made enough mistakes. Ball is done.
Typical bulls….
Quickley for Coby White and Lonzo.
If it’s a bluff, And everybody has seen through it already, I guess we can say that it’s worked about as well as any of their last 30 ideas. As in, Not.
Ball makes the right basketball plays. He is at least a backup PG instead league.
Would Chicago take Hardaways expiring deal and a 2nd rounder for White? Fontecchio and two 2nds? I mean that’d be a steal for DET but Chicago’s front office seems kinda dumb, so could it happen ?
Quickley for Coby White and Lonzo is a better deal.
I want a job with Jerry Reinsdorf….
I’d probably keep him too if all I was getting is a crappy 2nd. If it has the potential to be an earlier 2nd that’s a different story. Might as well give the fans something to look forward to at home games ROS because things are going to get ugly fast.
Then again, waiting as long to tank as they did, they might need to move Lonzo to maximize the number of losses.
if we could resign lonzo for w fraction of what he makes now i would be open to it. whatever lineup he plays in flows nicely
Trade Vucevic and Carter for a C in his twenties (22-24) to start. Carter needs to go
PG. C White
SG. J Giddy
SF. P Williams
PF. J Smith
C . ?
All those guys are young.
Ayo and Matas as sixth men. Collins and Huerter are good role players off the bench right now with expiring contracts next season
Trade Ball and Horton-Tucker for a expiring contract and a pick. Waive them and sign veterans on veteran minimum contracts to help the young guys
Waive Miller and Liddel on two way contracts and sign a young C and PG prospects (20-22)
Tank this year and compete next year.
Force Patrick Williams to be a SF
Strike while the iron is hot, you finally were able to get off LeVines contract, and if you’re rebuilding, get as many draft picks as you can get for Ball, these bulls GM’s/owners come across as people who have never dealt with the prospect of doing business in the NBA
How are these people employed by an NBA franchise? What is Zo going to do for you? What is the purpose of resigning him? If you just traded for your own pick back clearly you intend to be bad going forward. If they don’t trade Zo and Vooch even for pennies on the dollar, it shows a level of front office incompetence only rivaled by Mr. Nico Harrison.