Grade the Trade pitch: Raptors roll the dice on Ball brother in surprising new deal
Laying out the trade
Lonzo Ball came into the league as a potential star, drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and included in the package for Anthony Davis. He made a career pivot as he went, instead becoming an elite role player, the kind of connective tissue every team would want: an elite passer, a versatile defender and a knockdown shooter. Put him around other stars, and the entire team levels up.
That's the kind of player the Raptors would love to have and would be smart to pursue, but there is a catch: Ball hasn't played since January 14, 2022 - 33 months ago and counting. A debillitating knee injury knocked him out and Ball rehabbed for years trying to find a treatment to get him back on a basketball court. His 252 games played since he entered the league in the 2017 Draft put him 25th in his class; names like Semi Ojeleye, Sterling Brown and Justin Jackson have played more games than him. Jayson Tatum has more than doubled him with 513 regular season games (not even counting his league-leading postseason caps).
Ball is on track to return for the start of this season, but there is no way to know how his knee will respond or if he will be able to stay on the court. A healthy Ball would be an incredible boon to any team, and especially the Raptors; trading anything of value for a player unable to stay healthy does them less than no good.
When Hughes made the pitch over at Bleacher Report, he said "it'd be worth sending out a little draft equity to the Bulls for a shot at being the team with which Ball resurrects his career." That draft capital would have to accompany some salary, and Bruce Brown's expiring deal makes the most sense. Here, therefore, is what a deal might look like:
Bruce Brown Lonzo deal
The Chicago Bulls would take all of that risk, pack it into a briefcase and hand it over to the Raptors. They would lose the upside as well, but they have a roster packed with guards as it is and no clear direction as a franchise. They need the flexibility more than they need the upside that Ball can resume a full career.
In doing so, the Bulls get two second-round picks (Toronto's own in 2026 and 2030) and the ability to either flip Bruce Brown at the trade deadline or retain him on a cheaper deal moving forward.
The logic for the Bulls is there; what about the Raptors?