REPORT: Bulls Turned Down Major Trade Offer for Former UCLA Star

The Chicago Bulls did move one former UCLA Bruins star at the NBA trade deadline, sending Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings. And apparently, they had serious discussions to move another.

The Bulls received serious interest in Lonzo Ball, who just returned this year after missing two full seasons as a result of persistent knee issues.

Rumors began swirling around Ball, who seemed like a sure-fire goner even if Chicago received only a mildly entertaining offer.

Well, not only did the Bulls receive an offer, but a team apparently offered a first-round draft pick for the UCLA product, but Chicago turned it down, via John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Instead, the Bulls opted to sign Ball to a two-year, $20-million contract extension.

Here's the thing: when Chicago first re-upped with Ball, the initial assumption (including my own) was that the Bulls were merely extending him to increase his trade value for a potential offseason move.

Many teams will be much more willing to surrender something of value when they know the player they are receiving in return is not a flight risk, so it made sense.

But apparently, Chicago paid Ball because it genuinely wanted to keep him long-term, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense considering it just traded LaVine. The Bulls appeared headed for a rebuild, but they chose something in the middle of the road instead.

Ball has played in 30 games this season, averaging 7.2 points, 3.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals over 21.6 minutes a night on 36.2/34.0/85.7 shooting splits.

While the 27-year-old's percentages are obviously concerning, it's important to remember that he is still working his way back after missing extensive time. The positive sign is that Ball is doing a lot of good things elsewhere on the court.

The Anaheim, California native remains a willing passer and great facilitator, and he is still more than capable of guarding multiple positions defensively.

That definitely makes Ball valuable to a contender, which the Bulls are not. A contending ballclub definitely could have used Ball, but I guess we'll be seeing him in the Windy City for the next couple of years.

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