According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, the Chicago Bulls had a firm offer to get a first-round pick and take on future money for Lonzo Ball at the NBA trade deadline.
The Bulls, though, signed Ball to an extension.
“According to a league source, the Bulls had a firm offer to get a first-round pick and take on future money for Lonzo Ball and extended him instead,” Hollinger wrote. “Good news, though: 12 of the Bulls’ players are signed for next season.”
The Bulls and Ball agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract extension. The second year of the deal is a team option.
Ball has appeared in 30 games this season. He’s averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 36.2% from the field, 34.0% from beyond the arc and 85.7% from the free-throw line.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who drafted Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, were interested in trading for the UCLA product, a league source told Hoops Wire.
Ball missed the entire 2022-23 season and the 2023-24 campaign. He underwent a cartilage transplant in his left knee and received a meniscus transplant from a donor.
Ball signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Bulls in August 2021 as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 27-year-old Ball has played for the Lakers, Pelicans and Bulls. He has career averages of 11.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
Chicago traded Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings at the NBA trade deadline. The team is 22-32, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
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