A defensive upgrade and capable three-point shooter at the guard position could help the Los Angeles Lakers in a major way heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
Luka Dončić needs a backcourt partner that can shield the ex-Dallas Mavericks superstar on that side of the floor, and LeBron James could use another knockdown shooting threat to space the floor.
Los Angeles’ deflating five-game series defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs showed just how much work is left to be done for the franchise’s general manager Rob Pelinka, even after acquiring Dončić from the Mavericks prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline this past season.
In an effort to provide his two dominant talents with a perfect role player, recent updates have indicated that Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office could be interested in contacting the Chicago Bulls to hammer out the details on a deal to return Lonzo Ball to the franchise that drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
“Do you think the Lakers would be interested in a Lonzo (Ball) reunion?” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha read during a recent Q&A livestream on Monday night.
“I do, I think they would be. It’s just a matter of what his price is.”
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“And you have to factor in the health and the history there. You can’t even pencil him in for 60 games, so whatever you’re giving up for him, there has to be some level of a discount.”
“He’s a guy you have to load manage, like, ‘How can we load manage him to get to mid-April in one piece?”
At 27 years old, the 6-foot-6 two-way point guard took part in only 35 games in 2024-25 after missing the previous two full seasons due to injury. Even still, a healthy Ball could be a real difference-maker for a title contender next season.
If Los Angeles were to entertain the idea of looking past his recent injury history and offering a deal to the Bulls, a package of Dalton Knecht and Shake Milton could be enough to get a deal across the finish line.
Ball put together a promising, but wildly inefficient season in 2024-25, as he contributed 7.6 points and 3.3 assists on an abysmal 50.4% effective field goal percentage. However, his impact as a defender remained visible.
Through those 35 contests this season, Ball registered a career-best 1.7 defensive box plus-minus and a serviceable 113 defensive rating per 100 possessions along with 1.3 steals.
His aggressiveness and natural instinct on the defensive end could make him a viable target for the Lakers on the trade front, especially if he can hit open catch-and-shoot looks from distance.
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