Much injured in Chicago, Lonzo Ball may well not make old bones on the spot. Indeed, some observers see it being traded during the offseason… and a franchise would stand out as the most likely base in the Western Conference.
It’s hard to properly judge Lonzo Ball’s first season at the Bulls. Arrived this summer from the Pelicans, the point guard has only played 35 games in 2021-22 and there is a good chance that he cannot add more in the playoffs. First affected by the pandemic, then in the knee, he was therefore unable to contribute on a regular basis for his team which is completely collapsing after having been at the head of the East for a long time (45-33, 6th).
Nevertheless, beyond his 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game, the former draft No. 2 quickly showed very promising things in Illinois, and his absence was still well noticed in the roster. Whether in defense or in distribution… According to Sean Deveney of the site Heavy.com, his rating therefore remained intact despite his fragile health. However, his franchise could well benefit from it during the next offseason:
The Bulls will have the opportunity, if they want to get rid of it, to recover something of great value in exchange. A lot of teams wanted him last summer and that’s not going to change. Now that he’s under contract, you can make a trade, that would be worth exploring by a lot of teams.
Of course, we assume that the Bulls want to part with the player trained at UCLA, which is not confirmed. Nevertheless, everything can go very quickly in the big league and some competitors have already looked into the matter. Also according to Deveney, a franchise would be one step ahead of the others: the Clippers (38-40, 8th in the West). The latter would thus have the necessary assets to negotiate a deal with Chi-Town:
Lonzo Ball on the shelves of the Clippers?
The Clippers, if they wanted to make an effort to have it, they have the required parts. They could build a package around Luke Kennard and Zubac that would solve the Bulls’ big problems with shooting and near-circle defense and allow the Bulls to seek a trade that would also help them part ways with Nikola Vucevic.
It would practically be a homecoming for the brother of LaMelo, since he made his NBA debut at the local rival, the Lakers. If such a deal were to be made, he would in any case have two prime targets to stuff the ball with, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Not sure that Windy City is ready to let go after barely a year, but the consideration would actually help fill some needs. All this in the perspective of one more move, involving the Montenegrin big man.
Lonzo Ball would be a more than intriguing addition to the Clippers, while the Bulls would have the opportunity to make some changes to their workforce. On paper, an agreement between the two franchises around the guard is therefore quite possible.
