Report: Lonzo Ball exercises $21.4 million player option with Chicago Bulls

An expected move is that much closer to becoming official. Lonzo Ball is preparing to exercise his $21.4 million player option with the Chicago Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Ball hasn’t played since January 2021 – his first season with Chicago – after suffering a knee injury. Since then, the former UCLA star underwent multiple procedures to try and get back on the court, but still hasn’t been able to suit up.

Rather than test the free agency waters after two years away, Ball is picking up his option as he works to once again put on a Bulls uniform and play in a game.

The Bulls signed Ball to a four-year, $80 million deal in 2021 as part of a massive swing by executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas. He also brought in Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan that year as he tried to quickly turn the franchise around, and Chicago was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at the time Ball went down. It’s been a rough go since then, though, with back-to-back exits in the Play-In Tournament following his injury.

What’s next for the Bulls, Lonzo Ball

This past season, Chicago went 39-43 to come in as the No. 9 seed in the East and after beating the Atlanta Hawks to start the Play-In Tournament, got blown out by the Miami Heat to end the season. It was an up-and-down year for the Bulls, who not only saw Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams go down with injuries, but head coach Billy Donovan also came up as a rumored candidate for the Kentucky head coach opening after John Calipari’s departure.

Ultimately, UK hired Mark Pope and Donovan didn’t pursue the opening. But after the season, Karnisovas spoke with reporters and declared changes would be coming after two years of choosing “continuity” to get the roster to work.

“I’m thinking about winning,” Karnisovas said, via the AP. “That’s why I’m here. I’m not here to stay in the middle. The formula that came up three years ago, I thought it was working until a couple injuries. And we’re gonna have to find these answers in this offseason. Obviously, the results are not where we want it. I totally get it. And it’s on me to figure it out.”

Chicago currently has the 11th-best odds in the NBA Draft Lottery, which is set for May 12. From there, the attention will turn to both the draft and free agency.