NEWSLETTER
Lonzo Ball picked up his player option for the 2024-25 season, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
All things considered, this might as well be the most obvious transactional news of the season. Ball had to choose between making $21.4 million next season or likely going un-signed in unrestricted free agency. I know what I’d pick!
This will officially put Ball into the final year of his original four-year, $80 million deal with Chicago. He’s played just a total of 35 games for the franchise after injuring his knee during the 2021-22 season. Ball underwent multiple surgeries that caused him to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns.
Ball has remained adamant that he plans to return to the NBA. The Bulls have also remained supportive of the point guard throughout his recovery. But they now have a big decision to make. The front office could potentially get the remainder of Balls’ contract off the books if they go to the league office. The NBA would have to review Ball’s current injury status and determine whether or not his problem is career-ending. If so, Ball would still make his money, but the Bulls would no longer have it working against their cap sheet.
For what it’s worth, here is what Arturas Karnisovas told reporters when asked about the Ball situation at his end-of-season press conference:
“Well, he’s improving and we’ll see where he is at the next couple of months,” Karnisovas said. “There is no set backs so we’ll see where he is at in terms of on-court and [the] basketball side. So we’ll figure it out.”
If one thing is for sure, Ball’s current contract significantly restricts what this front office can do when it comes to reinventing this roster. Karnisovas has insisted that it’s time for meaningful change, but $21.4 million in dead money works directly against that goal, especially if the Bulls can’t find a trade partner for Zach LaVine and hope to re-sign DeMar DeRozan.
I suppose Ball’s expiring contract could be used to help facilitate a trade, but it also sure feels like the Bulls may need to include another asset to get a team on board. Of course, the other option of entertaining his comeback comes with the most risk. While I’d love for him to reclaim a spot in the NBA, the last thing we can do is expect Ball to look the same.
Unfortunately, the chances of him ever producing at the level we grew accustomed to are highly unlikely.
