The Toronto Raptors might be in the market for a new point guard by the time this offseason elapses due to Kyle Lowry’s uncertain situation, but Raptors free agency could get started off with a bang, even without Lowry, if they sign a stud to replace him. Given his pedigree, New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball has to be on Bobby Webster’s radar.
Ball has spent the last two seasons in New Orleans after the Anthony Davis trade, and he has been looking a bit more like the No. 2 pick that the Los Angeles Lakers expected when they took the UCLA product. The Pelicans missed the postseason, but Ball was not one of the reasons for that final record.
Ball set a new career-high with 14.1 points per game, all while making a personal-best 41% of his shots and 38% of his 3-pointers. Restricted free agency could not have come at a better time for the former top prospect.
While some concerning quotes from his father led some to believe he was done in New Orleans, Ball himself said that he “would love” to return to the Pelicans, with Zion Williamson himself vouching for Ball coming back.
Lonzo Ball 'would love' to return to Pelicans in free agency and Zion Williamson agrees: 'I hope he stays'https://t.co/QRoaHZH1J0 pic.twitter.com/bYc6n66ZQO
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) May 18, 2021
Ball is a restricted free agent, meaning that while rival teams can sign him to an offer sheet, the Pelicans have the right to match that offer sheet and bring him back to New Orleans, which could make it tough for a team like the Raptors to potentially construct a deal for him.
Still, if Lowry does leave, adding someone who is just 23 years old coming off of his best season seems like a very enticing option for a Raptors team that could use some stability in the coming years.
With plenty of very noticeable flaws, does the bad outweigh the good?