Reporter details interesting move Bulls might make with Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball has not played in the NBA for two full calendar years now, and the Chicago Bulls may finally be done waiting on him.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein indicated that the Bulls could pull an interesting move with the injured Ball ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Stein writes that Chicago has not ruled out the possibility of using Ball’s insurance-covered contract in a trade to be able to add more talent to their roster.

At first glance, the 26-year-old Ball, who has been sidelined since January 2022 with persistent knee issues, would figure to have absolute zero trade value, especially since he is making $20.5 million this season with a $21.4 million player option for next season. But since his contract is covered by insurance, another team could trade for Ball and get full salary relief if he can’t resume his career. The insurance would pay out the remainder of the contract, and it would not count against the acquiring team’s cap.

A complicating factor is that Ball would obviously like to continue his career — with a positive update recently emerging on his recovery — but if Chicago tosses in a future draft pick or two as an incentive, opposing teams may just be interested in taking a swing on the former No. 2 overall pick.