The Bulls are trading Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, spent the past four seasons in Chicago. However, due to multiple knee injuries, he spent the better part of that time recovering. He missed the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before returning to the lineup this past year.
While his playtime was down from his career averages this season, he still recorded 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals.
The Bulls signed Ball to a two-year, $20M extension in February despite trade interest at the time. He’s on the books for $10M this season and has a team option for next year.
Acquiring Ball gives the Cavaliers a versatile guard to add to their lineup. If he remains healthy, Ball has proved to be an effective defender, shooter and facilitator. The Cavs acquiring a point guard could also point to pessimism in their ability to re-sign impending free agent Ty Jerome.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are taking a flier of their own in obtaining former No. 5 overall pick Okoro. The Cavaliers didn’t re-sign Okoro to a multiyear contract until September of last year after he became a restricted free agent following the 2024 season.
Okoro’s playing time decreased in new head coach Kenny Atkinson’s system, and he averaged career lows of 6.1 points and 19.1 minutes. In the playoffs, Okoro’s averages shrunk to 4.6 points across 14.2 minutes. He’ll be in the second year of the three-year, $33M deal he inked with Cleveland last year. This year, he’ll count for $11M before his contract jumps to a guaranteed $11.8M next season.
