Bulls send Lonzo Ball to Cleveland

Cleveland spiced its title approach a little on Saturday, adding Lonzo Ball to the spread. Ball is 28 in October and worked but 70 games over the last four NBA seasons, undergoing a full meniscus transplant on his left knee, the first comeback of its kind in NBA history.

His return to Chicago in 2024-25 was positive, if inconsistent. Ball didn't play past February even as the Bulls fought for Play-In seeding.

Fought for Play-In seeding, in the East. It shouldn't make me laugh, when I write it, but it does.

Sad chortle, technically a laugh.

Ball was dealt to Cleveland on Saturday for 3-and-D swingman Isaac Okoro, ESPN reported first. And if Cleveland gives Lonzo a reason to give a shit about basketball again – Ball spent most of 2024-25 podcasting and can you blame him – he can play, help.

It would probably be incorrect to knock the dedication of a fella who worked his way back from NBA retirement with the surgical aid of a cadaver meniscus, but Ball has a lot of work to do. He was not nearly in NBA shape last season. His ideas are still there but the jump shot started all the way over at "no."

A summer in Cleveland, mindful that he may be starting, aware of the road to a potential championship and third major contract? Maybe that changes Ball's production, but it starts with Lonzo's base, that core, somewhat lacking last season.

Isaac Okoro is a replacement-level player the Bulls will pay $11 million to next season and $11.8 million in 2026-27. They hope he will be better than Torrey Craig and he will be, but not consistently, and with less influence on the locker room. The Bulls needed a mouthy veteran and Okoro is not that person.

Yeah, pretty much. Okoro is more orthodox in his style, in the sense that it is unorthodox that someone as bad at NBA basketball as Patrick Williams is in the NBA.

The Bulls honed in on Okoro because of his price, he is one of the lowest-paid vets around. They'll either extend him graciously after a few years to pretend the move worked out (Patrick Williams) or roll him into a terrible trade after leeching off the cheap seasons (Alex Caruso).

Okoro retains promise but is one of the least-regarded fringe NBA players the league has in its market.

Lonzo Ball, however, sustains his charms and league-wide interest as a straw, stirring the drink, banking in threes and then stealing the in-bound pass. The Bulls got straw for their straw, no saddle, no Craig Porter Jr., no draft picks, no Spurs, not even a goat to rope.

Isaac Okoro is the perfect sorta low-ceiling player a group like Denver or New York needs to make so-so minutes run the right way. The Bulls don't want to run the right way, they want to run in the black, and couldn't even pull a 2028 second-rounder from Cleveland in exchange for fixing Cleveland's bench.

The Chicago metropolitan area just watched as Alex Caruso did a little something awesome in all four NBA Finals wins, Finals wins won not for the Bulls but for some shitkickers in Oklahoma City. The hell happened there? The Bulls took OKC's biggest problem off the Thunder's hands in exchange for the perfect answer.

Chicago may have done it again, but with Eastern-level talent. The East, stinks. And the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team in the East with any All-Stars left.

The Cavs could blow 3-0 leads in the first and second and third rounds in the 2026 playoffs and it may not matter. They'll win three Game 7s at home by 42 points, each, in the sloppiest Eastern playoffs bracket of all time.

If Lonzo Ball works out this offseason and remains healthy during the regular season – no laughing back there – the Cavs have someone to make many playoff highlights on whichever NBA broadcast outlet we're illegally streaming from. Lonzo Ball could be at podium after podium next April, May, probably not June.

While the Bulls, unable to win Chicago's way into the worst playoff bracket in Eastern history, whine over losing the Portland pick. All those point guard with bad knees that they lucked into in the first place.

Isaac plays defense. Okoro's shot over the league average at three-pointers since he turned 22, he's been a 39 percent corner guy the last three seasons, all while being yanked in and out of the rotation by two different coaches. Second chances are real, the 24-year old Auburn product could still turn a strong player.

Also, Ball could go at any minute. Lonzo could win Finals MVP in 2026 and play 26 further NBA games. Okoro will be around for maybe another decade.

The problem isn't Okoro, but the Bulls. We've watched far too many well-meaning vets, players on other teams making critical differences, come to the Bulls and immediately throw the hoodie up.

No point in listening when you know better. These vets have been on other NBA teams, they know it is nicer out there, healthier than Chicago.

With its front office, which might already be congratulating itself for Okoro's turnaround play, readying that contract extension. Because Patrick Williams is off the books in 2029.

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Five years and $125 million is too much for Naz Reid, routinely played off the court in the postseason.

Not my team, though. Not my challenge to work out of and around. I have no clue what Reid could mean toward keeping that club in Minnesota. Not Anthony Edwards, but the Timberwolves. Sorry for being dramatic.

Kyrie Irving at three-years and $119 million? Too much, don't care, what else was Dallas going to do? He tore his knee saving their season, nobody has any cap space and wouldn't use it if they did. This is the price for previous business, it got them to the Finals.

Toronto hires Bobby Webster to run the books, but not before Masai Ujiri takes one for the team and drafts the best player available? My scenario? In 2036, Knick GM Masai Ujiri tempts Collin "Mr. Raptor" Murray-Boyles with a strong free agent offer to leave the only team CMB's ever known.

And of course MLSE doesn't match. And the Raptors retire his number in 2056.

Fred VanVleet at two-years and $50 million with Houston, yep, carry on. If Reed Sheppard steps up in any meaningful way, Fred's numbers tick up, and this won't be the last contract extension VanVleet signs in Houston.

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Indiana column, soon, Knicks column, whenever they hire a coach, free agency columns, ongoing.

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