6. Lonzo Ball
It is hard to think of a player in the NBA that has suffered from more frustrating injuries in the last several seasons than Lonzo Ball. When he arrived in Chicago in the summer of 2021 along with DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo figured to be a huge game-changer for the Bulls that could in theory help them get back to the level of a perennial playoff contender.
As we know, that was how things began when the Bulls shot up the standings in the first half of the 2021-22 season. But when Lonzo was sidelined midway through January of 2022 with a reported meniscus tear, things started to take a turn for the worse.
Ball missed the remainder of his first season with the Bulls after it was announced he would undergo knee surgery. Later, when he attempted to return to basketball activities, he was still dealing with nagging pain in his knee that needed to be addressed with another procedure that involved cleaning out loose material in the joint.
The result was Lonzo missing all the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Knee trouble is no joke for basketball players, and this has undoubtedly been a long and tedious process for the star guard. Here's hoping he can still make a full recovery and get back to being the player Bulls fans fell in love with, but it should also be no surprise if the team looks to move on in the offseason.