The Chicago Bulls are trading point guard Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for wing Isaac Okoro. The Bulls are moving some guard depth to rebalance their roster a bit, while the Cavs get insurance against potentially losing Ty Jerome in free agency.
Ball made an impressive recovery to get back from missing parts of four seasons due to multiple knee surgeries. He appeared in 35 games for Chicago last season and looked healthy. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.2 minutes per game.
Late in the year, Ball signed a two-year, $20 million extension with the Bulls. That deal includes a $10 million team option for the 2026-27 season.
Okoro signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Cavaliers last year. He saw his role reduced with Cleveland last season, falling behind Max Strus and De’Andre Hunter in the Cavs rotation. The Bulls had a lot of guards under contract, and are likely to re-sign Josh Giddey this offseason. Adding a defensive-minded wing in Okoro brings some balance to the roster.
By adding Ball, Cleveland protects themselves against potentially losing Jerome, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jerome is coming off a breakout season and has several interested suitors in free agency.