Lavar Ball Makes Strong Claim on Cavaliers' Lonzo Ball Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a big shake-up to their roster in the days ahead of NBA free agency opening in the form of trading Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls in a rare one-to-one player swap in exchange for the second-overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Lonzo Ball.

Ball, who looks to be a nice complement in the backcourt behind Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland when healthy, now has the chance to be a critical part of the Cavaliers' rotation next season. And if back to full health, based on what we've seen from him earlier in his career, the Cavaliers could be getting a big-time playmaker on both ends of the floor.

And of course, after the move was made, we got to hear some thoughts from Lonzo's father, Lavar Ball during an interview on ESPN Cleveland on how he feels about his son moving to Cleveland for next season–– where he was nothing short of confident about how he feels about the Cavaliers next year.

For Lavar, Lonzo might just be that final piece to the Cavaliers' championship puzzle.

"Lonzo's always been that piece you need for a championship– they've got to make everyone better," Ball said on ESPN Cleveland. "So, Cleveland just moved up to being the number one team for the East."

The one and only Lavar Ball tells @HammerNation19, @egoldie80 and @TheRealTRizzo that Lonzo Ball is the missing piece the Cavs need to win a title 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/hI5gjXHZwZ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 30, 2025

The Cavaliers (who already were the number one team in the East next season) seemingly just got even better when asking Lavar with the acquisition of Lonzo, someone who can be a key gear in Cleveland's championship push as an impact player on both ends of the floor.

But one question that does continuously pop up surrounding Ball wherever he goes does center upon his health. Especially following his two-year absence from the Bulls while recovering from his devastating leg injury, it's fair to have concerns about whether the top-two pick has a chance to get back to his peak production.

In the mind of Lavar, while those injury concerns have creeped into the picture in the past, in prototypical Lavar fashion, he centers the blame for those injuries on the talent to surround Ball.

"Yeah, he's had some problems in the past," Ball said, "You're always going to have problems when you're trying to carry everybody on your back! When you've got all of this help now, I don't see why they can't win the championship."

Feb 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

It remains to be seen whether Ball truly fits into the Cavaliers' rotation, how exactly his role will pan out with and without Garland in the mix, and what version of Lonzo we'll be in to see. But, when asking his father on the move, it seems like it could be a decision that pays championship-level dividends.

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