Bulls are reluctant to trade Lonzo Ball?

Though Bulls have received trade interest in Lonzo BallThey are not eager to move the veteran Point Guard and would not be looking to buy him out of his expiry contract if he stays in Chicago beyond Thursday’s deadline, sources Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of Stein Line (Twitter -Link).

According to Stein, Bulls actually has some interest in signing ball beyond his current deal, which pays him about $ 21.4 mm this season.

Ball, who missed two and a half NBA seasons while underwent a series of operations to tackle a cumbersome knee injury, made his comeback in the fall and have had a successful relapse season.

While his number-7.2 points, 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds of 21.3 minutes per day. Match-is career development everywhere and his shooting percentage-36.9% off the floor is 34.8% on three-point-under-his usual prices, ball has been a positive contributor beyond the box’s score. Bulls have been 10.5 points per 100 belongings better when he is on the field than when he is not.

More importantly, the previous No. 2 overall choices have not had any setback related to his knees and has seen his minutes limit steadily during 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 very unlikely that the bulls acquire more than the second round capital in any agreement involving the 27-year-old unless they take back an unwanted contract or two.

It is easy to make a case that is stuck to Ball’s bird rights and signs him in high season (in much less than the four years and $ 80 mm he came back in 2021) would be better for bulls in the long run than adding another round pick or two. He is still eligible to sign an extension in the season so that Chicago could even get something done before the summer if he is not traded.

Of course, this can also be a gearing game of Bulls in an attempt to improve the trade offer that comes in for ball. Stein recognizes just as much but says (via Twitter) That this is the direction Chicago has been in the ball as Thursday’s deadline is approaching.