What Lonzo Ball’s Extension Means for the Bulls
A few days ago, the Chicago Bulls and Lonzo Ball agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract extension after there were several trade suitors that were emerging for him during the trade period. The Chicago Bulls sure look different after the trade deadline as they traded their longest tenured player, Zach LaVine, to the Sacramento Kings, receiving Kevin Hurter, Tre Jones, and Zach Collins in return. This contract extension for Ball is a great look for the Bulls as they are in their rebuilding stage currently. Being the pass-first player that Lonzo is, this will allow him to develop along this young squad and give them more opportunities to shine.
Ball made his return to the league after going through three arthroscopic knee surgeries, appearing in his first NBA game in over 1,000 days. Despite missing about two and a half seasons, Ball has returned as a healthy and productive player for the Bulls. Chicago is outscoring teams by 5.8 points per 100 possessions with Ball on the floor. In 30 games, he is averaging 7.2 points on 36% shooting with 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds. All of this while on a minutes restriction all season as part of his recovery, which includes not playing in both games of a back-to-back. Ball missed about four weeks in November with a wrist injury, but hasn’t missed extended time because of his knee.
Since the start of January, Lonzo is averaging about 24 minutes per game and nine points while shooting 36.8% from three-point range. He’s also moved up to the starting lineup for his past eight games. Despite the years off, he still remains a rare talent as a long, 6-foot-6 guard. He’s a solid passer and three-point shooter who also brings a strong perimeter defense, making him an ideal fit into different lineups as well as being a positive influence in the Bulls locker room. Before he signed the two-year extension, he had been in the final year of his four-year contract he signed in the summer of 2021 and would have become a free agent this summer.
