Report: Lonzo Ball exercises $21.4 million player option with Chicago Bulls

An expected move is that much closer to becoming official. Lonzo Ball is preparing to exercise his $21.4 million player option with the Chicago Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Ball hasn’t played since January 2021 – his first season with Chicago – after suffering a knee injury. Since then, the former UCLA star underwent multiple procedures to try and get back on the court, but still hasn’t been able to suit up.

Rather than test the free agency waters after two years away, Ball is picking up his option as he works to once again put on a Bulls uniform and play in a game.

The Bulls signed Ball to a four-year, $80 million deal in 2021 as part of a massive swing by executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas. He also brought in Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan that year as he tried to quickly turn the franchise around, and Chicago was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at the time Ball went down. It’s been a rough go since then, though, with back-to-back exits in the Play-In Tournament following his injury.

This story will be updated.

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