NBA Rumors: Lonzo Ball carries Chicago Bulls interest?
The importance of figuring out the point guard position this summer for the Chicago Bulls is paramount and could include a piece like Lonzo Ball.
The rumors emerged lately that the Chicago Bulls were interested in hauling in the former UCLA Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball at one point during the regular season, but nothing officially came of it. Yet, Lonzo Ball wasn’t the only player from the Los Angeles Lakers that the Chicago Bulls front office inquired about around the trade deadline.
According to Bill Oram of The Athletic, the Chicago Bulls were also in the mix to land small forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the former top five overall NBA Draft selection Michael Beasley at the deadline. That deal would’ve involved the former Duke Blue Devils standout forward Jabari Parker and a draft pick.
However, it does seem like the Chicago Bulls front office made the right move in terms of moving Parker and fellow forward Bobby Portis to the proper place. The Bulls elected to ship Portis and Parker out to the nation’s capitol to join the Washington Wizards for a return of sharpshooting small forward Otto Porter Jr.
The Chicago Bulls had a tentative deal in place with the Los Angeles Lakers on the weekend of January 25th to acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Beasley for Jabari Parker.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) April 9, 2019
The Bulls waited three days but KCP never approved the deal.
(Via Bill Oram of The Athletic)
Thus far, Porter Jr. is panning out much better for the Bulls than KCP did for the Lakers down the stretch. Porter Jr. could be a key piece for this Bulls starting five moving forward, despite his large contract.
A lot could be changing soon, though, in terms of talks between the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers front offices since the former president of basketball operations out in LA, Magic Johnson, just stepped down in surprising fashion. Here’s a look into the rumors surrounding the Lakers and Chicago Bulls and what it could mean for point guard Lonzo Ball coming to the Windy City.