For the first time in his young career, Lonzo Ball will finally have a healthy offseason to improve his all-around game for the 2019-20 NBA season.
While the Lakers are expected to hire former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd as an assistant coach in part to help Ball’s development, there will be plenty of rumors leading up to the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20.
Although all of the attention is naturally on Anthony Davis’ trade request from the New Orleans Pelicans, numerous teams are interested in Ball.
Despite the Suns looking for a point guard, they are not offering the No. 6 pick for Ball, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 Phoenix:
There is NO truth to this – Suns not offering #6 for Lonzo https://t.co/vCjaOobkFL
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 2, 2019
As for Ball, he previously addressed the 2018-19 NBA trade deadline rumors following his second season and wants to stay, via House of Highlights:
“There was a lot of stuff that just started coming out. Obviously, I wanted to be in LA, but at the end of the day, I just want to play. Wherever that may be, it wasn’t a big deal to me. My primary choice is to stay.”
Born and raised in California, Ball was the team’s No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. While there are heated debates about Ball’s potential through 99 games, it appears he is receiving the most interest out of the young core.
As the Chicago Bulls reportedly view Ball as a point guard who can maximize their young core’s talent, the Washington Wizards reportedly would want him included at the very least in any potential Bradley Beal trade offers.
While the Pelicans reportedly are also interested in Ball, it is unclear if he feels the same way about them. In one of the numerous scenarios, the Bulls could ideally be the third team that helps the Lakers finally land Davis.
At just 21-years-old, Ball has shown flashes of his potential as a playmaker and defender. While Ball’s shooting will need to improve, it is becoming very clear other teams truly value what he brings on the basketball court.
