Bulls confirm they do not expect Lonzo Ball to return to court next season
This is not a surprise. The Bulls, along with Klutch Sports which represents Lonzo Ball, already released a statement saying his latest knee surgery could cost him all of next season.
During the NBA draft, Artūras Karnišovas, Chicago’s executive vice president of basketball operations, confirmed that news. From K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago:
“Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season,” Artūras Karnišovas told the media after the NBA draft on Thursday. “And he’s going to continue on his recovery. If he comes back, it would be great. But we’re just going to treat this offseason and getting ready for the season that he’s not going to be back next season…
“He’s recovering nicely,” Karnišovas said. “I think last month he got off the crutches and he’s recovering and doing his rehab. Everything is going well.”
Ball’s latest surgery is a cartilage transplant, a serious and consequential step forward in recovery from his degenerative knee issues — no NBA player has ever returned to the court following that surgery. The 25-year-old Ball aims to be the first. The surgery grows cartilage and puts it in the knee to replace the damaged parts.
Ball had his first surgery on the knee in January of 2022 and was expected back before that season’s playoffs, however, his recovery was slow and he continued to feel pain. That led to a second surgery in September before last season, and again recovery from that surgery was slow, and eventually the Bulls shut him down for the season.
It’s been a blow to the Bulls because Ball is the kind of glue at the point this roster needs to have a chance. He is a high-level perimeter defender and solid outside shooter who would push the pace in a way the Bulls need. Ball is under contract for $20.5 million next season with a $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season.
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Bulls confirm they do not expect Lonzo Ball to return to court next season originally appeared on NBCSports.com
