The Chicago Bulls and guard Lonzo Ball have agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Several trade suitors emerged for Ball in recent days, according to sources, but he and the Bulls have reached a deal that keeps him in Chicago through 2026-27.
Ball this season made an unprecedented return from three arthroscopic knee surgeries, appearing in his first NBA game in over 1,000 days.
He played sparingly for Chicago earlier in the season but has been seeing the court more consistently of late. Since the start of January, he’s averaging around 24 minutes per game, scoring 9 points while shooting 36.8% from 3-point range.
Despite the years off, Ball remains a unique talent as a long, 6-foot-6 guard. He’s an adept passer and 3-point shooter that also brings strong perimeter defense, making him an ideal fit in many different lineups.
Ball is in the final year of his contract and would have become a free agent this summer.
Source: espn.com