Chicago Bulls star point guard Lonzo Ball is up for trade before the deadline. Despite age on his side, the injury-ridden career has made things tough for the California-born player. Ever since the 2021-22 season, he has played only in a handful of games. However, now reports suggest, he might be traded back to his former team.
While some may think that the New Orleans Pelicans would be the team pursuing Ball, instead, it is the Los Angeles Lakers who have emerged as the favorite to sign him again.
Vegas Bookmakers favor the Lakers with +550 odds, followed by Orlando Magic with +700, to sign the 27-year-old Ball in a blockbuster trade.
The Lakers are the favorites to land Lonzo Ball in a potential trade, per @BovadaOfficial
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 16, 2024
Los Angeles Lakers +550
Orlando Magic +700
Phoenix Suns +800
Brooklyn Nets +1000
Miami Heat +1200
Charlotte Hornets +1400
Atlanta Hawks +1600 pic.twitter.com/y9eBfpeYat
Notably, Lonzo Ball was the Lakers’ No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He then went on to wear the Pelicans jersey for two years, from 2019 to 2021, before the Bulls signed him for $80 million in 2021. However, his original four-year contract seems to come to an end due to his struggle with injuries.
NBA Fans In Frenzy After Los Angeles Lakers Emerge As Frontrunner To Sign Lonzo Ball
Just a few weeks ago, the Lakers emerged as the favorites to sign their former player, Brandon Ingram. Now, the reports have come that the team is after Lonzo Ball too. If the reports are true, they are certainly willing to regroup their former players and form an invincible team. However, fans are in a nutshell after the latest trade reports involving Chicago Bulls’ Lonzo Ball surfaced on the internet.
One fan wrote, “Man, the Lakers are favorites to land every player in the NBA.”
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Man the lakers are favorites to land every player in the NBA.
— Inglish Banks (@Inglishbanks) December 16, 2024
Meanwhile, another fan had a similar opinion as he questioned, “Has a trade odds list came out that didn’t have the Lakers on it?”
Has a trade odds list came out that didn't have the Lakers on it?
— 37th Chamber (@micahdevore) December 16, 2024
However, one fan did not believe the latest report. He highlighted that the Lakers are aggressively looking to strengthen their defense and shooting. His comment read, “Those Lakers odds make zero sense considering how desperately they need defense and shooting right now, not another injured guard collecting dust.”
Those Lakers odds make zero sense considering how desperately they need defense and shooting right now, not another injured guard collecting dust.
— Paolotoshi Nakamoto (@pattherogue) December 16, 2024
A few fans were skeptical of the Los Angeles Lakers signing Lonzo Ball. The below comments share somewhat similar opinions from the fans:
They always the favorite and then they never do anything 😂
— Totezz (@totezzzz) December 16, 2024
The lakers?????
— HeatFly 🔥🦅 (@Heatflyy) December 16, 2024
I guess betting sites want the Lakers to bring the kids back, first BI now Lonzo 🤔🕵️♂️
— B2K09 (@K09B2) December 16, 2024
Lakers are favourites to land ever trade rumor in nba history
— pingu (@pingu12323123) December 16, 2024
Lonzo Ball’s stats with the Los Angeles Lakers in his first two seasons were certainly good enough for the team to reconsider him. In the 99 games he played, his average was 10.00 points, 6.4 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. So, if the Lakers keep the injury factor aside, the 27-year-old could still be an excellent pick for the long run. However, it’s still too early to predict if they will aggressively pursue him before the NBA trade deadline.
