After failing to have a successful reunion with D’Angelo Russell and shipping him away to the Brooklyn Nets for the second time, perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers simply chose the wrong former point guard to give another chance to.
Granted, the 2024-25 NBA season is the first time that Lonzo Ball is playing basketball since the 2021-22 campaign. The opportunity to reunite has not really been there until now.
On one hand, Ball’s first season back on the court with the Chicago Bulls is not inspiring strong confidence.
The Bulls guard is only averaging 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, while shooting a disappointing 36.5 percent from the field and a mediocre 33.0 percent from beyond the arc. In all fairness, the 1.6 steals per game and 2.9 defensive box/plus minus is encouraging.
The most hopeful soul would make the argument that Ball would benefit, offensively, from a change of scenery. Giving the veteran guard an opportunity to play off the superstar talents of Anthony Davis and LeBron James could make a strong difference.
Ball comments on playing in Los Angeles again
After a recent matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on a brief three-game road trip for the Bulls, one reporter asked Ball whether he thinks about playing in Los Angeles again.
“Wherever I’m at, that’s what I focus on. I try not to look too far ahead into the future, and just take it day by day.”
Lonzo Ball
While Ball may not want to look into the future, that will not stop others. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha joined an episode of Hoops Tonight with Jason Timpf, where he commented on the potential of seeing the two sides join forces again.
“I think Lonzo is someone that’s going to be on their radar, and I think, depending on the price, if you could get him for a second or two seconds, I think that’s an interesting swing. … He can guard twos and even some smaller threes and potentially be part of a one-through-three switching scheme. Offensively, I think, especially coming off the bench as a secondary ball-handler, playmaker and also a spot-up shooter, I think he’s someone who’s an interesting gamble for them.”
Jovan Buha
The downside of a potential Ball trade would be his price tag for this season.
While the former Laker is in the last year of his deal with the Bulls, investing the contracts into acquiring his $21.3 million deal would limit other potential trades the organization could do before the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 6.
Reuniting with Ball could prove to be a worthwhile decision. However, the Lakers may be better off waiting until the offseason when he hits free agency to make this specific move.
