Lonzo Ball called himself the "scapegoat,” now, he's searching for his next team. The former No. 2 overall pick, once drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, is a free agent after a turbulent stop with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended at the trade deadline.
Cleveland dealt Ball to the Utah Jazz in a three-team swap on Feb. 4. Utah waived him shortly after, pushing the 27-year-old guard back onto the open market.
Ball addressed the narrative surrounding his exit on Tuesday's Ball In The Family podcast.
"I know I'm the scapegoat right now but that comes with the name, though," Ball said. "Can I play better? Yes. Have I been playing terrible? I don't think I have. I've been shooting bad."
Ball may have a more optimistic view of his season than others, but whether it is blind confidence or lack of self awareness, one thing he cannot outrun is what the stats say about how he played. Although he thinks he wasn’t playing terrible when on the floor, the numbers scream otherwise.
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Ball averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 41 games with the Cavaliers. He shot 30.1 percent from the field and 27.2 percent from three. Those are career lows across the board.
He remained active defensively, averaging 1.3 steals per game and providing steady on-ball pressure. But Cleveland needed offensive stability after finishing 64-18 the previous season. Through 41 games this year, the Cavs were just 22-19.
Injuries to Darius Garland, Max Strus, and Evan Mobley exposed depth issues. Ball was brought in after Ty Jerome's departure to anchor the second unit. Instead, his scoring struggles became magnified. Ball pushed back on the idea that he singlehandedly hurt the team.
"I'm not gonna say I'm playing great. But to me, I'm just missing shots, for real," he said. "People are always saying, ‘Shooting 25%.' All right, let's actually take the percentages and let's talk about what that is. That's four shots a game. Sh***y, but I promise we aren't winning or losing games off of four shots."
It's a fair contextual point. But percentages tell a broader story about spacing and confidence. When defenders sag off a guard, it impacts lineup efficiency beyond box score math. Ball’s lack of aggressiveness as a scorer paired with his inefficient shooting seemingly made him a liability on offense and his upside as a perimeter defenders clearly wasn’t enough to keep him Cleveland’s good graces.
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Cleveland Pivoted While Ball Pays the Price
At the deadline, Cleveland made its real statement. The Cavaliers moved Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden, signaling urgency. They also attached second-round picks to move Ball's salary for financial flexibility and an open roster spot.
Since adding Harden, Cleveland has surged to 34-21 and sits fourth in the Eastern Conference. The timing makes Ball's "scapegoat" comment understandable. The team changed direction and he became expendable. Utah, in a rebuilding phase, had no interest in keeping him. Waived near the deadline, Ball now faces a quiet market.
There have been murmurings linking him to teams like the Charlotte Hornets, to play with his brother Lamelo Ball, and the Golden State Warriors back in California where he is from. Unfortunately for him, nothing has materialized. Even the Lakers, who had an open roster spot, passed and instead leaned into in-house guard Kobe Bufkin. That decision felt telling.
Ball still defends. He still passes at a high level. His feel for the game remains intact after injuries cost him multiple seasons in his mid-20s. But the modern NBA demands perimeter efficiency and right now for him, that's the swing skill.
The question isn't whether Lonzo Ball can help a team in short bursts. It's whether a franchise believes his shooting confidence can rebound. For a former top pick once viewed as a cornerstone, the crossroads is clear: adapt quickly or risk watching the league move on without you.
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