The Pelicans are in the midst of a transition in the backcourt, focusing their attention on the development of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. Veterans such as Eric Bledsoe and J.J. Redick appear to be getting phased out of the rotation, and Lonzo Ball, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, doesn’t appear to be a long-term fit within the franchise, as New Orleans continues to have trade talks with other teams about the former No. 2 overall pick.
The Knicks and Bulls are among the teams who “like” Ball, Heavy.com’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson tweets. The Knicks have no long-term answer at the point guard position, though they’ve recently been linked to 32-year-old Derrick Rose in trade rumors. The Bulls have Coby White but coach Billy Donovan recently indicated that the team’s front office has no timeline to determine whether White is the point guard of the future.
Robinson also names the Magic, Mavs, Raptors, Kings, and Clippers as teams with a fondness for Ball. The former UCLA Bruin is averaging a career-high 12.5 points per game this year but his assists (4.8) and player efficiency rating (11.9) are career lows through 15 games.
Former Bulls guard Jay Williams told Robinson that people need to “re-set expectations” for Ball.
“I think we need to re-set expectations for Lonzo…You don’t have to average a LeBron James triple-double. Just average a triple-double,” Williams said.
