MLB Rumors: The Chicago Bulls rejected a Lonzo Ball trade, according to a recent report.
When he was barely in high school, Lonzo Ball grabbed the basketball world by storm. Ever then, he has been working hard to live up to the hype. Throughout his career, the 2017 second-overall selection has struggled with injuries, missing the full 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons as a result.
Ball has subsequently made a comeback to the game and is now a productive point guard for the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls extended the 27-year-old guard's deal by two years and $20 million because of his success as a defender and facilitator.
Through 30 games this season, Ball is averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals, but the Bulls have been a complete disappointment.
The Bulls were supposed to blow it up at the trade deadline, but they are only 22-33 after 55 games this season. In order to retain players like Ball and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls only traded for All-Star guard Zach LaVine.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, the Bulls genuinely rejected Ball's offer, despite the fact that the return was quite alluring.
"According to a league source, the Bulls had a firm offer to get a first-round pick and take on future money for Lonzo Ball and extended him instead," Hollinger writes.
Ball offers the Bulls variety at the point guard position, which should be very helpful over the next two seasons, despite their dismal trade deadline.
The only issue is that Ball is probably not going to be the primary man going forward because of their extremely active backcourt.
The Bulls probably made the correct choice in keeping Ball rather than trading him for a first-round selection, but they are in such a precarious situation between rebuilding and competing that it might come back to haunt them if they don't stock up on draft assets to hang onto a 27-year-old who is prone to injuries.
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