Lonzo Ball was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans as apart of a sign-and-trade deal that sent Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple, a second round pick, and cash considerations to New Orleans in exchange for Lonzo Ball.
Lonzo Ball was given a deal north of $20 million dollars a season, which many may think is a lot of money for a player of his caliber, and I’m here to prove that idea wrong.
What Does Lonzo Ball Bring to the Bulls?
Lonzo is the point guard that the Bulls have needed ever since the departure of Derrick Rose. The Bulls have truly not had an actual point guard in quite some time now, and Lonzo is the answer to that. He’s a pass first guard that is also an excellent defense. You know what the Bulls struggled with this season? Playmaking and Defense. Defensively, the Bulls struggled to guard the opposing teams best guard every night. It would often be Zach LaVine having to guard players like Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, and Stephen Curry. As we all know, Zach LaVine isn’t exactly known for his defense. As he has greatly improved defensively, he should not be the guy to guard players like Curry. That’s where Lonzo Ball comes in. Known for his defense, Ball can come in and lock down some of the best scorers in todays game. With Lonzo having the use all his energy to guard some of the better players, Zach LaVine will have a lot more energy offensively and I think we’d all love to see that.
In a team that has its concerns defensively, Ball can come in and become an instant presence on the defensive end. With guys like Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar Derozan in the starting lineup, many believe that there isn’t much defense to be played, and that’s far from the truth. With the combination of Lonzo and P-Will, defense shouldn’t be a concern.
Why was Lonzo Worth the Contract he got?
There’s no debating that Lonzo Ball was given a massive contract, but let’s take a further look into it from a Bulls perspective.
The Chicago Bulls have been in a need of a true point guard since Derrick Rose. Some of the recent point guards that the Bulls have had are Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacono, Jerian Grant, and the tank commander himself, Cameron Payne. So if you can’t tell, its been a long time since we’ve had a point guard here.
Lonzo Ball has been proven to make players around him better. I mean there’s a reason why Zion really wanted the Pelicans to resign him this offseason.
With Lonzo Ball at pg, we can expect to see Patrick Williams potentially take a big leap this season. Last season, Williams didn’t have a true playmaker. This season with Ball, it could make a big difference, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break out in a big way this season.
We’ve seen just how many teams have been interested in Lonzo in the past year or so because he makes every team better and fits into just about every team. I believe that’s worth the contract that he got.
Overview
Lonzo Ball was brought in within the first few minutes of free agency from a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bulls have been heavily linked to Lonzo ever since he got to New Orleans.
With the addition of Ball, many players on this team (Patrick Williams especially), are gonna take big leaps this season. Many players have not played with a playmaker the caliber of Lonzo.
Lonzo is the perfect combo guard to Zach LaVine. He has all the assets that LaVine is missing from his game, and will compliment each other nicely.
Lonzo Ball was paid a 4 year, $81 million dollar deal from the Chicago Bulls, which on paper sounds like a lot of money. Given the Bulls recent struggles at the point guard position, they had no choice but to throw the bag at a free agent point guard this offseason and it just so happened to be Lonzo Ball.