The Chicago Bulls aren’t expecting Lonzo Ball to make a return to the team next season.
According to vice president Arturas Karnisovas, amid Ball’s challenging status, he is still continuing to make significant progress in his recovery.
“He’s recovering nicely. Last month he got off the crutches. … Everything is going well,” he said about Ball during the team’s press conference following the NBA Draft, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “Going into the off-season, our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season and he’s gonna continue on his recovery.
“If he comes back it’d be great.”
Ball previously underwent surgery in his left knee in March – the third procedure he took dating back from January last year. He only logged 35 games of appearance for the Bulls since joining them two years ago wherein he averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 boards, 5.1 dimes, and a career-best 42.3 percent three-point efficiency in the 2020-21 campaign.
Ball, 25, stood up as one of the solid two-way guards and a notable promising prospect as the No. 2 overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2017. But for now, his career is in serious jeopardy due to strings of unfortunate health issues.
He remains under contract with Chicago for the next three seasons with a player option attached for 2024-25.
