Chicago Bulls Vindicated in More Ways Than One After Latest Lonzo Ball Trade

While the spotlight remains on the Chicago Bulls' current trade cycle, one of their previous moves demands attention.

The organization surprised many when they decided not to trade Lonzo Ball at the 2024-25 deadline. Putting together an encouraging bounce-back season after two straight years on the sideline, reports noted legitimate interest in the veteran around the league. The Bulls, however, opted to extend the fan-favorite on a two-year, $20.0 million deal.

Fast forward to the offseason, and the front office seemingly changed its tune. Arturas Karnisovas chose to prioritize keeping former Spurs guard Tre Jones, moving off Ball in a direct swap for the Cleveland Cavaliers' Isaac Okoro. Considering previous rumors implied the Bulls had a chance to add draft capital in exchange for Ball, as long as they were willing to also eat some salary, the deal didn't sit well with many.

Nonetheless, fan frustration likely subsided once the season tipped off. While Okoro hasn't necessarily knocked anyone's socks off, he has been a steady contributor in the team's starting lineup. As for Ball, he has struggled immensely to pick up where he left off. The 28-year-old has averaged just 4.6 points and 4.0 assists on 30.1 percent shooting from the field. His three-point shooting, in particular, has fallen off a cliff.

The results proved rough enough for the Cavaliers to finally call it quits on Wednesday afternoon. The team sent Ball to Utah along with two second-round picks, per ESPN's Shams Charania. In other words, they paid the Jazz to take Ball off their hands for the sake of significant tax savings.

Chicago Bulls Come Out on Top of Lonzo Ball Trade

Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls — Feb 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ball during a game against the Toronto Raptors at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz are now expected to waive Lonzo Ball and allow him to enter free agency. While this will at least allow Ball to go where he's wanted, it's a staggering change in momentum for the guard after his promising 2024-25 comeback.

From a Bulls' perspective, however, there is no question their decision to ultimately move off Ball was the right one. They also deserve a tip of the cap for grabbing a serviceable rotation player for his services – one that the Cavaliers seemed to have missed almost immediately.

Indeed, this is another major reason why Chicago's deal has only become better with age. The Cavaliers have struggled to look like the same juggernaut they were a year ago. Their defense, in particular, has stumbled outside the Top 10. Was Okoro the lone reason they succeeded on that end? Of course not, but he was a meaningful contributor who had an On/Off efficiency differential of +4.4, per Cleaning the Glass.

Cleveland clearly missed his defensive versatility at times, and their decision to acquire a talented wing defender like Keon Ellis (who has eerily similar stats to Okoro) this past week underscores that. Speaking of which, the Bulls were also able to get in on this deal and receive two second-round picks for their help.

So, in a weird domino effect way, the Bulls sort of got Okoro and two second-rounders for the now-waived Ball. The front office can't help but feel pretty darn good about that.

To be clear, everyone in the NBA is likely rooting for Ball to find success on his next team. Few players in league history have overcome the kind of injury trouble he has faced. If we are looking at this strictly as a business move, though, there is no doubt the Bulls made the right one. And they are sure hoping they can say the same about the decisions they are make this week.