A few moments after NBA free agency officially began Monday evening, the Chicago Bulls made the first big splash.
They reportedly agreed to sign guard Lonzo Ball to a four-year contract worth $85 million, according to multiple reports.
To complete the deal, the Bulls are sending Tomáš Satoranský, Garrett Temple and a second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Ball in a sign-and-trade, according to the Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Bulls pursuit of Ball dates back to, at least, the trade deadline in March when he was rumored to be one of their top targets. They could not come to an agreement with the Pelicans for a midseason deal, but have been connected heavily to Ball for weeks leading up to the “official” start of free agency.
So they were ready to strike right away to get their man.
Ball, who will turn 24 near the start of the season, is coming off his best year with the Pelicans.
He averaged a career-high 14.6 points per game while dishing out 4.8 assists in 2020-21, and his shooting numbers, often one of the biggest concerns in his game, took a step forward. He shot 41.4% from the field, 37.8% from 3 on 8.3 attempts with a true-shooting percentage at 55.1%, all of which are career-highs.
Ball hasn’t been a point guard in the traditional sense of a lead initiator, but he acts more of a connector on offense, which could be a valuable skill playing with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević.
