As 2024 comes to a close, the Chicago Bulls have ambitions of starting the new year with a fresh clean slate. According to the latest report by league insider Jake Fischer, Lonzo Ball is officially on the trade block for the Bulls along with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
“No surprise, then, that Bulls executives, according to league sources, have been messaging to rival front offices that they are willing to discuss the majority of their roster in trade talks leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline,” wrote Fischer. “Most notably, sources say, Chicago has expressed a desire to move LaVine, Vucevic, and Ball — who collectively command nearly $85 million in salary this season.”
The Bulls had a brief moment of prosperity in the East when they held the best record in the Conference for a brief period in the 2021-22 NBA season. It was injuries that ripped the Bulls apart and they’ve been trying to pick up the pieces ever since.
But now, after years of misery and disappointment, the Bulls are ready to move on from this group and start building toward a better future. Currently, they still have their veteran core in place but they’ve already begun to make some moves.
The rebuild began this summer with the departure of DeMar DeRozan. He left the Bulls to sign a new deal with the Kings, freeing up the books in Chicago and giving them more flexibility moving forward. It will also give some of the Bulls’ current young prospects the chance to step in and take his place.
Lonzo Ball, 27, is only just returning to the court this season after an extended hiatus from the game to recover from a nagging knee injury. The two-way point guard is only averaging 5.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game on 41.2% shooting but after years of battling to return to the court, it’s a miracle that he’s even playing at all.
Lonzo was once considered one of the top defensive guards in the game and while he has the potential to reach those heights again, it will take time — time that the Bulls don’t have right now with the team on the verge of breaking apart.
By trading Lonzo and their other prized veterans, the Bulls can start a full rebuild and finally move on from this disastrous Zach LaVine era. Of course, it remains to be seen if the Bulls are ready for such a drastic move but if their trajectory gets any worse things will surely get interesting in the Windy City.
As for Lonzo, multiple teams would be on his pursuit if he became available, maybe even potentially the team that sent him away all those years ago. At this point, a fresh start might not be a bad idea for Ball given his journey and all of the steps he’s taken along the way.
A new team might allow him to change his mentality and put him back in a position to compete in the postseason. Either way, Lonzo’s name will be one to watch this season as the trade market heats up across the league.
