NBA Rumors: Lonzo Ball Picks Up $21.4M Bulls Contract Option amid Knee Injury Rehab
May 4, 2024
Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has picked up his $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, keeping him with the team for one more year, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday:
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnAs expected, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has picked up the $21.4 million option on his contract for 2024-2025, sources tell ESPN. Ball has missed the last 2.5 seasons with a knee injury. He signed an original four-year, $80M free agent deal in 2021. <a href="https://t.co/KJt3cx2DNs">pic.twitter.com/KJt3cx2DNs</a>
Ball has missed the last two-and-a-half seasons due to persistent left knee problems. He initially began sitting in January 2022 to undergo surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee. The initial expectation was for him to be out for six to eight weeks but he sat for the rest of the season after he began to "experience pain with high-level physical activity," per the team.
The focus then shifted toward the 2022-23 season. News broke in Sept. 2022 that Ball was set to undergo an arthroscopic debridement with the ex-UCLA star experiencing consistent pain and discomfort whenever he tried to increase his level of basketball activity, per ESPN's Jamal Collier.
Unfortunately, that continued into the 2022-23 season, and the Bulls announced in Feb. 2023 that he would not return. One month later, word broke that Ball would need a third surgery on his left knee. That procedure was a cartilage transplant, and it then cost him all of 2023-24.
Ball's tenure with the Bulls began with so much promise. Chicago built a promising team with a bright future in 2021 with Ball running the point, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine on the wings and Nikola Vučević down low.
Ball's last game with the team was on Jan. 14, 2022. By the time that day's NBA games concluded, the Bulls were 27-13 first in the Eastern Conference. Ball was faring well with 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals.
Chicago hasn't recovered since Ball's absence began. The Bulls finished the year 19-23 and bowed out in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Chicago then fell in the play-in tournament in 2022-23 and 2023-24 after posting losing records.
But there's hope now that Ball can return in 2024-25 and fare well. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan provided an encouraging report in March.
"Some of the workouts have been really, really positive and he has progressed," Donovan said (h/t K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago). "He has responded well. Some of the things that medical guys have shown me is he looks good moving. I'm just really happy for him personally for his progress. He has worked hard to put himself in this position. And hopefully, he can continue to progress."
Johnson reported that Ball had been "cleared for advanced activities."
It's ultimately no surprise that Ball has opted into the final year of his deal given his two-and-a-half-year stretch off the court. It's highly unlikely that he would get anywhere close to the $21.4 million he'll receive with the Bulls.
Most importantly, the hope is for Ball to finally enjoy a good stretch of health and fulfill the promise showed in the half-season before the left knee issues forced him off the court.