Lonzo Ball is on the open market, searching for his next team.
According to the NBA Insider Jake Fischer, the veteran guard is gaining interest from the Golden State Warriors.
If the Warriors indeed add Ball, they would become his third team in the past year. Over the summer, Ball was included in an offseason deal, landing with the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Chicago Bulls. Many viewed the deal as an underrated move for Cleveland, who believed they were getting a productive scoring punch off the bench.
Unfortunately, the Cleveland stint wasn't going as planned. Ball appeared in 35 games. He made just 30 percent of his shots from the field and scored 4.6 points per game. From three, he averaged 27 percent.
Leading up to the trade deadline, the Cavs traded Ball in a deal to send him to the Utah Jazz. While the Jazz have made some moves to acquire contenders to begin transitioning to a playoff-ready team, Ball isn't in their plans. He was waived shortly after the deal was done.
Now that Ball is a free agent, he can take on any offer that comes his way. For some time, he was gaining a link to the Charlotte Hornets. Rumors suggested that the Ball brothers could unite in North Carolina, where the Hornets have become one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Of course, the Warriors will be enticing, though.
Sitting in the eighth seed with a 28-24 record, the Warriors are underperforming. Injuries have played a part in their shortcomings, and now Jimmy Butler is out for the year with a torn ACL. They made a big move to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, improving the front court. They seem to view Ball as a possible backcourt improvement off the bench.
The California-born guard spent his high school and college days out west. After starring at UCLA, Ball was the second-overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons before getting traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. During the 2021 offseason, Ball was moved to the Chicago Bulls, where he picked up another contract in 2025.
While Ball spent several years in Chicago, he played for them in just two seasons, seeing the court for 35 games each. A chunk of his stint was spent rehabbing from knee injuries. The comeback remains a tough journey for Ball, but he proved last season he could still be productive with time in the right situation.
Newsweek