Getty

Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates a three pointer against the Washington Wizards.

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball is drawing interest from a desperate Western Conference team.

After a relatively successful comeback from a devastating knee injury, Ball is on the radar of the Dallas Mavericks as their stop-gap solution to their point guard issue due to Kyrie Irving‘s ACL injury.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Ball is a “far more reasonable” trade target for the Mavericks.

“League sources say Dallas is expected to at least explore whether there are any feasible trade pathways to Boston’s Jrue Holiday — complicated as that would likely be given the three years and $104 million still left on Holiday’s contract — while also maintaining an interest in a far more reasonable trade target as we’ve discussed on the DLLS Mavs podcast: Lonzo Ball,” Stein wrote on his “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on Monday.

Ball is on a much cheaper deal than Holiday, which makes him easier for the Mavericks to acquire. The 27-year-old Bulls point guard extended for $20 million over two seasons in February with a team option on the second year.

But Ball’s injury history makes him a scary option for the Mavericks. He missed two-plus seasons recovering from a devastating knee injury. The former No. 2 overall pick had three surgeries, including a transplanted knee ligament from a deceased donor.

The 27-year-old Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He had a 50.4% effective field goal percentage while making 34% of his 3-pointers.

It is unclear if Ball will be made available. But his team-friendly contract makes for a valuable trade chip.

However, Ball receiving that contract after spending more than half of his four-year, $100 million deal on shelf while recovering from the persistent injury is a proof of the Bulls’ strong faith in their veteran point guard.

Ball was appreciative of Bulls’ support throughout his long, arduous recovery journey, which he made it clear when he appeared on Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink’s “Straight to Cam” podcast.

“If you have a good organization that is behind you and letting you heal, that’s huge,” Ball said. “Shoutout to the Bulls for that because when I was going through it, a lot of teams could have pushed me to the side and said that was whatever. But they stuck with me through the whole way…It’s never going to be like a super smooth process coming back. The work that you put in as a kid and all the repetition, I think that’s a pretty big thing. People who don’t know how to, it’s kind of like you’re just going through limbo land.”

Lonzo Ball Over Tre Jones?

Extending Ball could come at the cost of re-signing their unrestricted free agent Tre Jones, according to “Pat The Designer” of Locked on Bulls.

“I would love to have Tre Jones on this team,” Pat said. “I think he is literally the piece that you want to have if you’re the Chicago Bulls. But, instead, you decided to re-sign Lonzo Ball for $10 million for 35 games. That’s the Tre Jones spot to me…It just doesn’t make sense to bring him back. Unless you’re just going to say ‘We expect Lonzo to be out.’ But, then it’s like ‘you shouldn’t have paid Lonzo.’”

But if Ball is traded, it could create the pathway for Jones to return.

There are a couple of intriguing veterans in the Mavericks roster like PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford who could become available.

The Mavericks are expected to select Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 pick, who will dislodge Washington, who is extension-eligible, in the starting lineup. Gafford, who is seeking starter-level money, has also become expendable as the Mavericks could not afford to keep him along with their other big men Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II.

Ball and a draft capital might be enough for the Bulls to land either veterans from the Mavericks.

Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo