Lonzo Ball, New Orleans Pelicans. (Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)
It took all of one minute for the Chicago Bulls to land Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade at the start of NBA Free Agency.
The trade was a wild one and, despite NBA provisions, was likely discussed in the lead-up to Tuesday.
Ball signed an offer sheet with the Bulls on Monday a four-year contract worth $85 million. Rather than match said offer and keep Ball in New Orleans, the Pelicans opted to cut their losses and trade the point guard to the Windy City.
How Ball fits in Chicago remains to be seen. It’s a larger market that will likely mimic Ball’s Los Angeles days in terms of media visibility, and also pressure. Lonzo has grown a lot since then.
NBA Free Agency: Twitter freaks out at Lonzo Ball trade
The complete trade is as follows:
NBA fans were more than ready for the start of the free agent season, as were Woj and Shams with their drafts on tap. The result was complete madness.
Ball joins a Bulls core of Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Lauri Markkanen and Nikola Vucevic. Assuming they make the right moves moving forward, there’s no reason this group can’t at least compete for a playoff spot in the East.