Lonzo Ball signed a two-year $20 million contract extension with the Chicago Bulls earlier this season. The deal will have a team option for the 2026-27 season.
Ball continues to struggle with injury issues. He played in just 35 games for the Bulls last season. During a recent episode of the “CHGO Bulls Podcast,” Matt Peck and Will Gottlieb broke down why the decision to extend Ball was likely a mistake from the Bulls.
“The Bulls roster building strategy should be to take on bad contracts for picks, to have multiple bites of the apple,” Gottlieb said. “To be able to bring in multiple players on rookie scale contracts to fill out your roster that have potential…I think ultimately, it was a mistake not to trade him (Ball).”
Ball’s value around the NBA is at rock bottom. He hasn’t been healthy in multiple years. Chicago could find it hard to include him in a trade without attaching draft picks. They may be better served stepping in as a third team in a bigger deal and using Ball’s contract to facilitate a move while getting rewarded in the process.
Ball’s Contract Extension Could Cost Tre Jones
According to “Pat The Designer” of Locked on Bulls, the Bulls’ decision to extend Ball could limit their ability to keep Tre Jones in free agency. Jones impressed after joining Chicago as part of the Zach LaVine trade, and has looked like the ideal backup guard off the bench.
“I would love to have Tre Jones on this team,” Pat said. “I think he is literally the piece that you want to have if you’re the Chicago Bulls. But, instead, you decided to re-sign Lonzo Ball for $10 million for 35 games. That’s the Tre Jones spot to me…It just doesn’t make sense to bring him back. Unless you’re just going to say ‘we expect Lonzo to be out.’ But, then it’s like ‘you shouldn’t have paid Lonzo.’”
The Bulls will likely be hoping that the market for Jones is small, which could allow them to re-sign him on a team-friendly deal. After all, they can move on from Ball at the end of next season if they’re unable to trade him in the coming months.
Bulls’ Rebuild Will Take Time
Rebuilding a roster in the NBA takes time. There will undoubtedly be some missteps along the way. When speaking to the media on April 17, Vice President of Basketball Operations Artura Karnisovas asked for the Bulls fan base to show patience, as the Bulls continue to navigate the early stages of the rebuilding process.
“I’m asking for the fans to have patience,” Karnisovas said. “We’re in the first year of that transition. I thought that the way we finished the year shows some promise. It’s hard to win games in this league. But to finish 15-5, it’s not a victory lap, but I think there are some positives. I think we gotta keep on building this group by adding another player in the lottery. Going into free agency and adding another piece. And, obviously, going into the summer, that’s when the players get better.”
Re-signing Ball was likely a mistake by the front office. However, they can still turn things around and appear to have a clear overall blueprint on how to move forward.
As such, Bulls fans will likely give Karnisovas the grace he’s looking for, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be vocal when mistakes are made.