Lonzo Ball is on the move Saturday as the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is reportedly headed to his fourth NBA team. After four injury-riddled seasons with the Chicago Bulls, he is going to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for former lottery pick Isaac Okoro, a wing defender with a shaky jump shot.
Cleveland, coming off a 64-win regular season, was disappointed by a five-game, second-round loss against the Indiana Pacers and needed to do something to shake up the roster despite overwhelming luxury tax and apron-related challenges. They’ve now done so with Ball. The Bulls, meanwhile, add a bit to last season’s No. 19-ranked defense while getting younger and healthier in the process. With that in mind, let’s grade this trade.
Cleveland Cavaliers: A-
There’s really only one reason this isn’t an “A” trade for Cleveland, and it’s Ball’s medical history. He just missed two full seasons due to knee issues, and last year, he played only 35 games in his comeback. This is a risk. There is absolutely a chance Ball isn’t healthy enough to help them when it counts. Even if he is, his minutes need to be monitored carefully. He averaged 22.2 of them last year and did not play in a single back-to-back. That will probably be the formula moving forward.
But Cleveland had a somewhat similar player on last season’s roster in Ty Jerome. Despite his injured past, Jerome was a Sixth Man of the Year contender even as he averaged fewer minutes per game (19.9) than Ball did. That’s going to be the formula here. Jerome is an impending free agent, and with Cleveland already above the second apron before re-signing him, his departure is almost inevitable.
In this trade, Cleveland fills the possible void left by Jerome and saves a bit of money: Ball makes $10 million this year while Okoro makes $11 million, and Ball’s 2026-27 salary is not guaranteed because of a team option, while Okoro’s 2026-27 salary of $11.8 million is guaranteed. Cleveland is still far from ducking the second apron entirely, but this team has an obvious…
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