By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Lonzo Ball will be traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro.
ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news on Saturday.
The offseason trade will be the third for 27-year-old Ball, shortly following a two-year contract extension in February. Coming out of UCLA in 2017, he was the second overall pick of the annual NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Two years later, before the start of the 2019-20 season, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. In 2021, he was traded once more, landing in Chicago. Between the three teams, he was featured in 287 games.
Surgery in his left knee during the 2021-22 campaign, followed up by sitting out the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns due to another knee surgery and lingering issues, slowed him down. Finally returning to action at the top of the 2024-25 Regular Season, he tallied 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per contest over 35 appearances, until a right wrist injury finished his run in late February. He is expected to be fully healthy to start the 2025-26 season.
On the opposite path, 24-year-old Okoro was picked fifth overall by the Cavs in 2020, coming out of Auburn. His first five NBA seasons were in Cleveland, including 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per contest over 64 games between the 2024-25 Regular Season and the 2025 Playoffs presented by Google. Overall, he logged 360 career appearances.