Cavs Pursued Lonzo Ball For Months, Inquired With Bulls At Trade Deadline

It appears the Cleveland Cavaliers got exactly what they wanted when they traded for Lonzo Ball, sending Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls in the process.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman “have targeted Ball for months,” contacting the Bulls at the trade deadline in early February.

Cleveland is also saving some much-needed money with the deal.

“As the Cavaliers enter the 2025-26 season approximately $12 million over the salary cap’s second apron — and with All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley receiving a $45 million bonus on his rookie maximum contract — it makes Ball’s contract at two years and $20 million, with a team option on 2026-27, more palatable,” Charania wrote.

Ball, 27, hasn’t played a full NBA season since 2021 due to multiple knee surgeries, including a rare cartilage transplant procedure. He missed all of the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons before returning to limited action last year. In 31 games, Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals — well below his career marks, but enough to warrant interest.

The Bulls signed Ball to a two-year, $20 million extension in February, signaling some belief in his comeback. He is owed $10 million this upcoming season, with a team option for 2026.

For the Cavaliers, Ball provides defensive versatility, vision and spot-up shooting — if healthy. It’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward swing for Cleveland, which may be hedging its bets amid uncertainty around free agent guard Ty Jerome.

Meanwhile, Chicago gets a fresh look at Okoro, the former No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft. Okoro, 23, saw his role shrink under new Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. He averaged just 6.1 points in 19.1 minutes during the regular season, and only 4.6 points in 14.2 minutes per game during the playoffs.

Still, the Bulls view Okoro as a two-way wing with room to grow. He enters Year 2 of a three-year, $33 million contract that pays $11 million this season and $11.8 million guaranteed in 2026.