For the second time in as many weeks, a report has suggested that Lonzo Ball may actually be long for the New Orleans Pelicans. After Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported that there was little expectation that Ball would be dealt, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported something similar on Monday, though with a tad more belief that a deal could potentially still happen.
“Trade talks involving Ball have fizzled for now, league sources say…Trading the 23-year-old will remain a possibility, especially since the Pelicans are expected to be active ahead of the trade deadline. Executives say they could be buyers or sellers, depending on what direction the trade winds blow.”
As noted last week, Ball’s improvement and overall strong player in the last month has led him to be seen more as a piece of the future with New Orleans than as a trade asset.
In O’Connor’s piece, which is his latest weekly power rankings, he looks at one particular aspect of Ball’s improvement in his pull-up shots, whether 3-pointers or 2-pointers as he’s making 33.8% of his 3-pointers and 38.9% of his 2-pointers.
Those types of improvements has made it harder for the Pelicans to trade Ball in lieu of allowing him to grow alongside Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
