The Chicago Bulls pulled off a rare player-for-player trade for the second year in a row. Last year, it was the heavily criticized Alex Caruso-for-Josh Giddey trade, a move that helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture a championship. This year, it was sending Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro.
Cleveland expects to be a championship contender this upcoming season, so for the second year in a row, the Bulls might’ve sent a key player to a championship team.
Like the Thunder the year before they won a championship, the Cavaliers lost in the second round of the playoffs to an upstart team that went on an improbable run to the NBA Finals, with Cleveland losing to the Indiana Pacers in 2025 and the Thunder losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.Feb 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Lonzo Ball (2) hits a three point shot against Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead (23) during overtime at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
It’s a wide-open Eastern Conference due to Achilles injuries to Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard, who the Milwaukee Bucks just shockingly waived. That leaves Cleveland as a clear favorite, and contending for a championship is something Lonzo Ball is looking forward to.
On the most recent episode of the “What an Experience” podcast, Ball was asked about how he feels to be joining the Cavs. “Just playing, competing for a ring. I feel like that should be the goal, I feel like that is the goal. So, happy to get over there and get started. To meet everybody, get familiar with everything, and take it as far as we can.”
“I feel like it’s just a blessing, bro. To be honest, I mean, everybody keeps asking me how I feel about the trade. I’m like, s***, I’m happy to still be playing anywhere, let alone a team that has a real chance to win a ring.”
“My whole life, I feel like I’ve been playing the right brand of basketball, and that’s to win games, so I feel like I’m going to a great situation, and I just want to play my role and do what I can to help.”
BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are trading Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/W0FTrRhe7y
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1938976906960883936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1938976906960883936%7Ctwgr%5E3032d566c7faef0466fc0d5370cc0a387f780976%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fbulls%2Fnews%2Flonzo-ball-shares-thoughts-on-cavaliers-after-bulls-trade-01jzejbswe7j
Lonzo Ball has never played in the playoffs, so he should have a great chance here if he’s able to stay healthy, which can be a big if.
He missed more than two seasons in a row with the Bulls recovering from a significant knee injury, but came back late last season to the floor, averaging 7.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG.
