On the morning of Feb. 15, Shams Charania of The Athletic reportedly confirmed interest that the Chicago Bulls new front office regime has in putting together an offer on the trade market for the New Orleans Pelicans fourth-year point guard Lonzo Ball. There were previous rumors surrounding the Bulls potential interest in a trade to land Lonzo ahead of the deadline next month, but this is about as concrete as the evidence has gotten to date.
This does make sense that first-year Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have interest in adding a true two-way floor general this season. And just because the Bulls might make a trade for Lonzo from the Pelicans, that doesn’t mean that the role of second-year point guard Coby White on this team is done.
White can play more of a combo guard role in a very potent backcourt trio that could involve Ball and star shooting guard Zach LaVine for the Bulls if Karnisovas and Eversley put together the right trade package this year. While White is having a roller coaster ride of a season thus far, he is still a staple of this young core in the fourth year of the rebuild.
What Lonzo Ball could bring for the Chicago Bulls
Moreover, Ball is a good trade target for the Bulls given their rotational needs at this point in time. They could use a better perimeter one-on-one defender as their starting point guard on a consistent basis than White. And bringing in a true playmaker as a primary ball handler in Ball could push the game of LaVine along even further this season.
So far this season, Lonzo has played in 23 games for the Pelicans (starting in all of them), averaging around 31 minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged 13.7 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Ball shot 42.1 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.9 percent from the free-throw line.
That all has amounted to a -0.1 box plus/minus rating, 0.3 value over replacement player rating, .071 win shares per 48 minutes, 1.0 total win shares, 54.8 true shooting percentage, 110 offensive rating/105 defensive rating, and a 14.1 player efficiency rating.
The real question regarding a Ball trade for the Bulls has to do with what the Pelicans would be asking for in return. It is true that Karnisovas and the Bulls have a plethora of player assets and future draft capital to work with ahead of the March 25 trade deadline, but parting ways with key pieces of the young core won’t come easy.
First-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls currently sit with a record of 10-15, ahead of their Feb. 15 road meeting with the divisional foe Indiana Pacers. Their last game resulted in a 125-106 loss at home at the United Center on the night of Feb. 12 at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers.