The New Orleans Pelicans have yet to lock Lonzo Ball after this NBA season and multiple clubs could explore options. However, not all are convinced that the 23-year-old could be hot commodity considering he still has to need on certain aspects of his game.
Perhaps that most glaring thing about Ball’s game is his offense. His shooting form continues to draw criticism although he more than makes up for him with his brilliant passing. There are teams who could use a facilitator like Ball, especially the ones loaded with talent.
But before thinking that far, the Pelicans still have a shot at keeping the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. New Orleans would be wise to keep the 6-foot-6 guard, especially considering he jives well with sophomore player Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans have “shown openness” to trading Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/7fxQvACEch — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 26, 2021
Despite that, there are claims that the Pelicans are open to offers for Ball and J.J. Reddick. First-year head coach Stan Van Gundy knows that he has a plethora of guards at his disposal, names such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis.
Seeing Reddick get traded would make more sense since he is a veteran that any contending team would want. But as far as Ball is concerned, the optimal time to see him move is probably by the NBA offseason.
So far, Ball has played in 12 games averaging 12 points, 4.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds. Except for scoring, his assist and rebound numbers are noticeably down. Ball has career averages of 6.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game according to Basketball-Reference.
A reason behind that could be because Ball (and the other players like Williamson) are trying to adjust to Van Gundy’s system. Things could change moving forward although these are numbers that could factor in the decision-making of the Pels for the son of LaVar Ball.
There are multiple teams being linked to Lonzo Ball. The list includes the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns. From this mix, a move to the Clippers or the Sixers could make sense.
The main reason for that is that both teams do need a playmaker to help out their frontline stars. The Clippers don’t need much offense from Ball although his contributions would be valuable. The case is a bit different for the Sixers since they need all the points they can get from the outside.
Right now, seeing Ball get traded is hard to foresee. All this will only stop once the Pelicans land a new pact with the form UCLA standout – something that may not come until after the 2020-21 season.
