With Lonzo Ball’s future in New Orleans up in the air, a handful of teams are emerging as potential suitors for the guard. Ball is set to enter restricted free agency this offseason and the latest report from Shams Charania of The Athletic indicates the Pelicans will not match a significant offer sheet for the guard.
In the same report, Charania lists two teams as potential suitors for Ball in the open market:
“The Bulls and Clippers are expected to be among the teams interested in him, according to sources. Ball averaged career-highs in points (14.6) and 3-point shooting (37.8) this past season.”
No team has been linked more to Ball after the last six months than the Bulls. During the season, Chicago and New Orleans held trade discussions leading up to the deadline that never materialized into anything serious. However, the Bulls’ interest in Ball remains and with cap space this summer, Chicago could vie for his services.
The Clippers being listed is certainly an interesting name. They, too, expressed interest at the trade deadline but also could not put together an offer that interested the Pelicans. Unlike Chicago, Los Angeles would not have cap space and would need to work a sign-and-trade to land Ball.
In theory, a player like Luke Kennard could have value on the Pelicans with his ball-handling and shooting ability, but his large contract likely creates a hurdle for the two sides to clear.
