Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told reporters that doctors have allowed injured point guard Lonzo Ball to move forward in his recovery from the knee injury that has kept him out for most of the past two seasons.
Ball had a third, and relatively uncommon surgery to fix the problem and had already been ruled out for the entire 2023-24 season.
The news is crucial for the front office at this time.
The Bulls received a disabled player exception of $10.2 million for Ball’s absence this season that ends on Monday [March 10],” according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson on March 9. “That will not be used.” Donovan stated that he is more concerned about Ball from a personal perspective rather than a professional one.
The NBA has granted the Bulls a $10.2 million Disabled Player Exception for the season-ending loss of Lonzo Ball, sources say. https://t.co/6pJ3Lc78vY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2023
Ball, 26, is in the third year of a
four-year, $80 million contract He has a $21.4 million player option for next season. The Bulls could request to have that.
removed from their finances if Ball is considered unfit to play next season. That may not be an option after Donovan’s update. Especially with the team facing the
Los Angeles Clippers on March 9 holding a strong position in the Play-In Tournament. With 18 games left, the Bulls could have used that exception to enhance the roster.
Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan: Lonzo Ball ‘Looks Good Moving’
Ball has progressed to the
highly-anticipated next stage of his recovery: running and cutting. “He’s starting to run. I know we talked about last time, Some of the workouts had been, I think, really, really positive in terms of running, cutting, jumping, doing those things, that he’s progressed into that, responded well,” Donovan said
via the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe on March 9. “Some of the things that the guys have shown me is he looks good moving.” This comes shortly after reports surfaced of internal concerns Ball had yet to reach this point.
According to Johnson, the next step for Ball will be getting into contact play.
“At some point, we’ll have a conversation about what the next step is contact-wise for him,” Johnson said, per Johnson. “He’s had 2-1/2 years of no contact.”
Ball has insisted that he will come back to the court, and has even addressed speculation against it directly. His back-and-forth with
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith was the most significant. But Ball continues to show he is making progress. Lonzo Ball Shared Encouraging Workout Video
Ball shared a video of himself making some slow cuts on the court following reports that the Bulls had concerns about his knee.
The Bulls players have been open about the impact he had on the team when he was healthy. The Bulls have
emphasized consistency since Ball’s initial injury disrupted their 2021-22 season. They might be closer to reaping the benefits of that perseverance than it seemed at the start of the season.
However, not using any part of the exception while staying 1.1 million below the luxury tax,
, takes away much of the positivity from this update and the Bulls’ recent performance. per SpotracHead Coach Billy Donovan delivered a positive update about Lonzo Ball’s ongoing progress in his recovery.
