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.