NBA Insider Grades UCLA Alum Lonzo Ball's Move To Cavs

The Chicago Bulls on Saturday agreed to trade former UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.

While reviews on the trade vary, many national pundits wholeheartedly agree that Cleveland came out of the trade on top despite Ball's storied injury history. Maybe Ball will never shake the injury bug, or maybe the mediocrity of the Bulls was holding him back like it did Alex Caruso, who just won an NBA Championship his first season after departing from Chicago.

Regardless, Okoro has shown flaws in the postseason and Ball is naturally a better fit with the Cavs moving forward. ESPN NBA Insider Kevin Pelton graded the trade along with various other offseason moves. He gave Cleveland an A and Chicago a B-.

Here's what he had to say about the former Bruin's fit with his new team:

"After more than two full years off the court due to the ongoing effort to repair his troublesome left knee, Ball returned at something close to full strength for 35 games last season.

"Although Ball predictably didn't shoot as well as he had, making 34% of 3-point attempts, the other skills that made him a premier role player prior to the injury remained in evidence. Ball has evolved into a strong secondary playmaker and an outstanding help defender who creates problems for opponents with his size and ability to read plays.

"Those skills, helpful for any team, are particularly maximized around other great players. If Ball can shoot more like the 37% he hit from 3 in January, his healthiest stretch of the season, he'll fit well on a Cleveland team that's longer on scoring than passing and struggled to defend the Indiana Pacers in a playoff upset.

"Certainly, it's possible that Ball is unable to contribute next season because of his health. Thankfully, his knee wasn't an issue aside from skipping some back-to-backs for injury management purposes. However, Ball did miss 37 games with a pair of wrist sprains, and he missed at least 30 games in both of his seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of his career. Only during two shortened seasons in New Orleans was Ball relatively healthy."

Ball's days of impacting winning are far from behind him. His first year in Chicago, he was part of an early surge to the top seed in the East before injury befell him. Evidently, even the league's best teams aren't ready to give up on him.

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