NEWSLETTER
I feel like we’ve said this a million times over the past few years, but it’s impossible to not feel terrible for Lonzo Ball.
Before Tuesday’s loss to Detroit, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls “were having even more concerns about Ball’s progress.” The 26-year-old point guard has been trying to work his way back from a cartilage transplant surgery. He hasn’t appeared in a game since January of 2021.
Head coach Billy Donovan was also asked about Ball’s status on Tuesday, and his comments to the Sun-Times weren’t very encouraging:
“I don’t know if he’s stuck. He is doing some shooting, some running, some jumping. He hasn’t done any sprinting yet, that I know…
They talked about that, and [sprinting] was kind of a goal, a set point. I do think the one thing that has been a priority right now so he does not get set back is he needs to develop more strength in his leg. Because of him having that surgery and being off his leg so long, before he’s really able to ramp up, I think they want him to get to a place physically that relates to his quad strength, hamstring strength, before he starts to really do that…
I don’t want to say it’s a holdup, but that’s where they want to get him to. In terms of what he’s doing, he feels better.”
Billy Donovan on Lonzo Ball
So What’s Next For Lonzo Ball?
While that wasn’t the most negative update, it certainly wasn’t positive. Lonzo Ball still isn’t sprinting on that leg largely because, according to Donovan, he still needs to build up more strength in that leg. I get he’s coming off multiple surgeries, and that this season was lost anyway, but if nearly a year of rehab from this third knee surgery doesn’t have him strong enough to sprint … when will it?
Of course, I’m not a doctor, and we all knew this was going to be an excruciatingly long process for Ball. But it seems like if he were progressing in a meaningful way, the Bulls would have flat-out said that by now.
With that in mind, it’s hard not to wonder what’s next for the Bulls and Lonzo Ball? Next year is the final year of Lonzo’s deal. It’s a player option worth $21.4 million. Ball will obviously opt into that as he remains sidelined. The question then becomes will the Bulls apply for a career-ending injury exemption? If the Bulls apply for that exemption and it’s granted, Ball’s money would be cleared off their cap sheet.
We can all agree Chicago could desperately use that money, especially with DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams both up for new contracts. All signs currently point toward the team trying to bring those two back. As of this writing, the Bulls have just $16.3 million of “Practical Cap Space” available for next season, according to Spotrac.
If by this offseason, Lonzo still isn’t sprinting and hasn’t progressed much in his rehab, I don’t think the Bulls would have a particularly hard time getting that exemption granted. Given the lack of cap space and the team’s unwillingness to spend into the luxury tax, finally deciding what to do with Ball’s hefty salary feels like a critical decision. The alternative to asking for the exemption could be potentially using Ball’s contract as an expiring deal in a trade. His $20+ million could – theoretically – help Chicago add a win-now starting caliber player. But would going this route even make sense for a team currently in no man’s land?
Anyway, I’ll continue to keep my fingers crossed that Lonzo Ball’s rehab takes a turn for the better. But we all know a full return for the NBA has been up in the air for a while now, and it’s hard not to fear a report like this could foreshadow some even more troubling news down the road.
