Report: Lakers Drop Official Decision About Trading Lonzo Ball

Ken Berger of Bleacher Report confirmed that the Los Angeles Lakers made Josh Hart, Ivan Zuback and Moritz Wagner available in trade deals. What about Lonzo Ball?

“In the West, the Lakers have to be part of the conversation because of the LeBron James factor, though it’s not clear to rival executives whom they’re willing to trade in any deal and whom they aren’t… Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Moritz Wagner are available, rival executives say, while pretty much everyone else is off the table,” he reported, and his report also offered info about Lonzo Ball.

“At one point a month ago, they were dangling Lonzo [Ball] a little bit, but now they don’t want to trade him,” an NBA executive said of the team.

Ball was able to step up his play after LeBron James hurt himself on Christmas Day. In the 13 games Lonzo played in after LeBron’s injury, Ball averaged 12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists per contest.

Head coach Luke Walton talked about Lonzo Ball

“For Lonzo it’s learning on the go,” Walton said. “He hasn’t had an offseason yet to work on his game. So he’s learning while we’re playing during the season and he’s really done a nice job of turning a corner. We’ll see where we’re at, how long he’s out for, and hopefully get him up and running again and playing at the level he was playing at before he got hurt.”

“They’re trying, but they’re young,” the head coach said of Ball and Ingram. “At some point, we need more passion. We need more fight. And that’s not scoring more. That’s more diving for loose balls, communicating loudly, grabbing [rebounds].”

In other words, Ball is safe from being sent somewhere else for the remainder of the regular season. February 7 is right at the corner.