Cavaliers-Bulls Trade Proposal Sends Former Top Pick to Cleveland

The Cleveland Cavaliers were just bounced from the second round of the NBA playoffs for the second straight year, and now, it may be time for the Cavaliers to make some changes.

Cleveland elected to mostly stand pat last offseason, holding onto its Core Four and passing on making any significant moves to bolster the roster. The Cavs did land DeAndre Hunter at the trade deadline in February, but more alterations may be coming.

While swinging a colossal trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo may be more of a pie-in-the-sky scenario, there are some other realistic trade targets for the Cavaliers, and Caleb Crowley of King James Gospel has identified one in particular: Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball.

"As a passer, Ball is one of the best non-All-Star offensive maestros the Cavaliers could find. He rarely turns the ball over, and his basketball IQ is one of his best tools," Crowley wrote. "Defensively, though, is where Ball truly shines. Standing at 6'6", Lonzo is a great perimeter defender, a skill the Cavs could desperately use. Adding an oversized, defensive guard to the Cavaliers backcourt could help alleviate the flaws brought on by Garland and Mitchell in the starting unit."

Of course, the problem with Ball is his injury history. He missed two whole seasons between 2022-23 and 2023-24 due to persistent knee issues, and he played in just 35 games this past year.

When healthy, Ball is a very solid all-around player who has definitely shown that he can do the little things to help a team win. However, one does have to wonder how much the former No. 2 overall pick has left in the tank.

Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists over 22.2 minutes a night on 36.6/34.4/81.5 shooting splits this past year, which aren't exactly enticing numbers. He did, however, post a plus-9.7 net rating, so perhaps he can still contribute to a contending team like Cleveland.