After missing two-and-a-half years of game action while recuperating from three knee surgeries to repair a pesky meniscus tear, Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball finally made his return to the NBA in the Bulls' October 23 season opener, a 123-111 loss to Ball's prior franchise, the New Orleans Pelicans.
He made it exactly three games before getting hurt again.
Now, Ball is struggling to recuperate from a sprained right wrist that was only supposed to cost him 10 days. The 6-foot-6 guard has blown past that projected return timeline, and is apparently still shelved indefinitely.
Per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has indicated that Ball no longer has a precise timeline for when he'll see action again.
In fairness, Ball has been limited to a bench role under a minutes restriction. The 27-year-old's ability to return at all after such a long absence is somewhat remarkable. In his three contests back, he's averaged 4.7 points on 35.7 percent field goal shooting and 33.3 percent 3-point shooting, while dishing out 3.7 assists and pulling down 2.7 rebounds a night, across 15.7 minutes a night.
Ball, a Chino Hills native, was a college phenom during his one-and-done NCAA season at UCLA, before being selected by his hometown Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He was selected by team president Magic Johnson ahead of future All-Stars Jayson Tatum, De'Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo.
Across his two seasons in Los Angeles, Ball averaged 10.0 points on .380/.315/.437 shooting splits, 6.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks a night. His injury woes were an issue from the jump. The oversized point guard appeared in an average of 49.5 games during those two Lakers years.
Ball fully blossomed into his peak 3-and-D self in New Orleans. He was a core component of the trade package of promising youngster Los Angeles had to ship out in order to acquire All-NBA superstar big man Anthony Davis in the summer of 2019. In those two New Orleans years, Ball notched 13.1 points on .409/.376/.664 shooting splits, 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks a bout, emerging as an above-average starting point guard in the league.
The Lakers also benefitted from the Davis deal. Next to All-NBA forward LeBron James, Davis instantly won a championship during their first season together. They haven't been quite back to the mountaintop since, though Los Angeles did reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
Ball's future looked bright when he inked a four-year, $80 million deal with the Chicago Bulls as a restricted free agent in a 2021 sign-and-trade. But he's only played 38 games with the club as his fourth season enters its second month. Here's hoping he can return to action soon.
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Jonathan Kuminga has remained a free agent this offseason. There's no telling how his situation will resolve itself with the Golden State Warriors, but ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has confirmed that the Sacramento Kings are among his interested suitors. It's unclear if the Warriors want to keep Kuminga around, but it's also clear that if he wants to join another team, they wouldn't want to lose him for nothing. One way the Warriors and Kings could resolve the Kuminga situation is by agreeing to a sign-and-trade that would swap Kuminga for players on the Kings roster. It would depend on who the Warriors would want in return for Kuminga. The Kings have some players to offer in exchange for the wing, like DeMar DeRozan or Devin Carter, so getting them would be something for Kuminga. However, even if the Warriors could entertain a sign-and-trade for the young wing, they're not interested in those two Kings. More than that, Sacramento may want Kuminga but only at a fair price. Sam Amick revealed the details during his appearance on Warriors Plus/Minus. "My understanding is the Warriors weren't interested in Carter or DeRozan," Amick said, which was aggregated by 95.7 The Game's Evan Giddings. "As of a couple weeks ago, the Kings weren't willing to pay Kuminga into the $20 million range (per year)." DeRozan is a six-time All-Star who will enter the second year of a three-year, $78.9 million contract. The Warriors are not above either of the NBA's tax aprons at the moment, while the Kings are hard-capped at the first apron.
The New York Yankees acquired several talented veterans after superstar outfielder Juan Soto walked in free agency this past offseason, with southpaw pitcher Max Fried (12-4, 2.62 ERA) chief among them. They signed the latter player to an eight-year, $218 million contract, and he's given them their money's worth thus far. Fried leads New York's pitching staff in wins and ERA. The 31-year-old is also tied for third in baseball in wins, is 11th in ERA, and is 11th with a 1.03 WHIP. Still, the Yankees could use pitching help, given that ace Gerrit Cole is out for the year after getting Tommy John surgery, and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will make his first start of the season on Sunday. Fried was asked after Tuesday's bout with the Tampa Bay Rays if he's anxious to see what New York does ahead of Thursday's Trade Deadline, via SNY. "You've just got to take care of business every day," he said. "That's not something that we can control...We have baseball games to win." The Yankees did just that on Tuesday, beating the Rays 7-5 in a comeback effort. Fried earned his 12th win after allowing four runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings to go with nine strikeouts and two walks. The veteran also tossed a career-high 111 pitches. Over the last few days, the Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and fellow third baseman Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. They also traded pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later or cash. New York will face Tampa Bay again on Wednesday and Thursday.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
San Francisco 49ers fans will probably remember the name Trey Lance as long as they live due to how big a bust he was for the franchise. They drafted him third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and sent a trade package that included three first-round picks to do it. And their return on investment crashed and burned right before their eyes. He now has another chance to prove he belongs at the NFL level and try to separate himself from the "bust" label that might as well be written on the back of his jersey in the minds of fans. The Los Angeles Chargers have elected to name him the starter for the Hall of Fame game this Thursday, July 31, against the Detroit Lions. Former 49ers QB Trey Lance set to start for the Chargers in the Hall of Fame game During his time with the 49ers, Lance made four starts and only dressed for eight regular-season games. He recorded 797 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions as a 49er. Injuries derailed him from ever creating any momentum on the field, but the on field product was also simply not good enough. It became apparent to the 49ers that their seventh-round pick a year after drafting Lance was a better starter option for the time being. That QB, of course, is Brock Purdy, who still to this day holds the title as the 49ers starter and has led the team to two NFC Championship appearances and even punched their ticket to appear in one Super Bowl. While the Lance situation may never feel great for 49ers fans, many likely feel that things worked out significantly better than they could have, thanks to Purdy. Now Purdy is one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL, and Lance is battling to be a QB two in Los Angeles and will likely need to show out in the preseason to win the job.
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