Artūras Karnišovas says the Bulls do not have an action plan for Lonzo Ball’s future with the team yet
Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball unsurprisingly has exercised his $21.3 million player option for the 2024-25 season, NBC Sports Chicago confirmed.
Ball's move to pick up his option on the final year of his contract isn't a surprise. This upcoming season will mark his fourth on the team since the Bulls acquired him in a sign-and-trade move with the Pelicans in the summer of 2021.
Ball, 26, hasn't played for the Bulls since January 2022. Since then, he's undergone three separate knee surgeries; the latest, of which, was a cartilage transplant. If Ball can't return by the season, and his injury is deemed career-ending by an independent doctor, the Bulls can earn $21 million in salary cap relief.
On the radio with 670 The Score during the first week of April, Ball's father, LaVar, projected his son has 4-to-5 months before he can play 5-on-5 basketball with full contact. Right now, Lonzo still has some hurdles to clear.
A four-month timeline from LaVar's projection slates Lonzo to return around August; a return closer to five months would put him in early September. With the 2024 NBA Draft slated to commence on June 27, and NBA free agency opening three days after that, Ball creates a difficult timeline for the Bulls to figure out his place during a turning point in the organization.
At the team's end-of-season press conference, Vice President Artūras Karnišovas said change will come this offseason for the Bulls roster. In laying out his plan, he said they would "wait and see" on Ball's health.
"We’re just going to wait and see his progression the next couple of months," Karnisovas said. "He’s progressing well. Everything is looking with no setbacks. So we’ll see where he’s at in a couple of months."
MORE: What's the Bulls' plan for Lonzo Ball? Artūras Karnišovas shares his thoughts
Everyone wants to see Ball get back on the floor. He's been a key cog missing from a Bulls team starved of a tantalizing facilitator, 3-point shooter and elite perimeter defender alongside Alex Caruso. But his situation creates an awkward standing for the Bulls.
The backcourt is getting crowded with Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu coming off seasons where they each took major strides in their young careers. And the impending futures of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams make it more difficult for the Bulls' front office to navigate their cap situation entirely.
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But the Bulls have already supported Ball's recovery for the last 2.5 seasons he's been sidelined. There's no reason for them to quit on their point guard now, especially when his rehab is on an upward trajectory.
"He’s improving," Karnisovas said of Ball. "We’ll see where he is at next couple of months. There's no setbacks, so we’ll see where he's at in terms of on-court and the basketball side. So we’ll figure it out."
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