The Chicago Bulls are a team to monitor as the 2025 trade deadline approaches. Several of their players have come up in speculative trade scenarios in recent weeks. Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is one of those players.
Ball returned to the court this season after a two-plus-season absence following a devastating knee injury.
However, his path to a new team could involve a buyout instead.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst appeared on his network’s local radio affiliate in Cleveland. The hosts asked about the options the Cavaliers might pursue in the buyout market if they fall short in trade talks before the deadline.
“What you’d be looking for is a perimeter guard, who has size, and can defend,” Windhorst said. “Two guys who could be bought out that fit that bill are Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons.”
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The Cavs are 38-9, boasting the best mark in the league heading into the January 30 slate of games. They have the third-best odds of winning the 2025 NBA Finals, per FanDuel.
Ball, 27, boasts the best on-off differential on the Bulls, per Cleaning The Glass.
He is averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds this season. He has appeared in 26 games, including five starts. Ball is also averaging a career-low 20 minutes per game, peaking at 26 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 20.
Ball in the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract. He has also been mentioned as a trade candidate, though, which would take him out of the buyout market.
Lakers Expected to Consider Lonzo Ball Trade
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft. They traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans in a package for Anthony Davis in 2019.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha believes the Lakers could target Ball in a trade before the deadline.
“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[-round pick] or two seconds – I think that’s an interesting swing,” Buha told Jason Timpf on “Hoops Tonight” on January 18.
“He’s bulked up a little bit throughout his career. So he can guard, I think, 2s and even some smaller 3s and potentially be part of a 1-through-3 switching scheme. And then offensively, I think, especially just coming off the bench as a secondary ball-handler, playmaker, and also a spot-up shooter. I think he is someone who’s an interesting gamble for them.”
However, Ball’s performance has created hesitation on the Bulls’ part, and the feeling is believed to be mutual.
Bulls, Lonzo Ball Not Eager to Part Ways: Report
The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe reported that the Bulls and Ball are both keen on keeping the guard with the organization.
“For Ball, the risk of upending the final stages of that recovery — even if it meant finishing the season on a more competitive roster — might outweigh the potential reward of pushing for a trade,” Poe wrote on January 24.
“On the other end of the bargaining table, the Bulls aren’t eager to move on from Ball. He’s playing excellent basketball. He quietly commands the locker room, bringing a layer of veteran leadership to a team desperately seeking direction amid a transition season. And while he may choose to walk in free agency, the Bulls already made a long-term investment in his recovery.”
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The trade deadline is on February 6.
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