The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls have agreed to a trade that will send Lonzo Ball to Cleveland and Isaac Okoro to Chicago, according to an ESPN report.
The Cavs entered this offseason after yet another disappointing early postseason exit, and initially seemed like they could be poised to make a major move to shake up their core. But with the East looking quite open with the Achilles injuries to Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard, Cleveland may opt to try running it back one more time with their core four, but still needed to make some adjustments to their roster to be better prepared for a postseason run.
For a team that’s struggled with depth in the playoffs for the past three seasons, adding veterans who can provide two-way play and be a trusted part of a shortened rotation had to be a priority this summer. With this trade, they acquire a quality backup point guard in Ball, something that was shown as a weakness in their postseason run after Darius Garland got injured and the offense struggled in his absence. Ball will give them another facilitator and on-ball creator behind Garland.
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Ball made his return to the court after a two-year absence from a knee injury and complications after surgery, averaging 7.6 points, 3.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 35 games for the Bulls on 36.6/34.5/81.5 shooting splits. Ball has two years and $20 million left on his contract, but the second year is a team option, giving the Cavs some potential flexibility for next summer if Ball doesn’t pan out.
After trading for De’Andre Hunter at the trade deadline in February, Okoro became expendable for the Cavs and they opted to swap him for the veteran guard. The Bulls will bring in the former top-5 pick as they continue to shift their timetable forward, adding a strong defensive wing with two years remaining on his contract. Okoro saw his role diminish last year in Cleveland, but averaged 6.1 points per game on 46.4/37.1/71.7 shooting splits.
There are certainly questions about the Bulls’ process on this deal, as there were reports they could’ve turned Ball into a future first at the deadline. It’s also the second summer in a row they’ve traded a quality veteran for a former high draft pick without adding any future assets in the deal, so few are willing to give their front office much benefit of the doubt right now.
The Alex Caruso-for-Josh Giddey swap was a key move in turning the Oklahoma City Thunder into this year’s NBA champions, and the Cavaliers will hope adding Ball for Okoro, who was not a particularly trusted part of their playoff rotation, can have a similar impact on them next spring.
