Warriors urged to pair Stephen Curry with $20 million Lakers outcast via buyout originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Golden State Warriors are finished making trades this season, as the 3 p.m. Feb. 5 deadline has passed.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIf the Warriors decide their roster still isn’t where it needs to be after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis on Wednesday, they’ll have to explore the buyout market.
According to Blue Man Hoop’s Peter O’Keefe, a Los Angeles Lakers outcast could land on their radar.
“Lonzo Ball could be buyout target for the Warriors,” O’Keefe wrote Wednesday. “Ball endured a horror time in Cleveland after being acquired in an offseason trade with the Chicago Bulls, averaging only 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.3 steals on a paltry 30.1% shooting from the floor and 27.2% from three-point range (he was traded to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday).
“At his best, Ball is a versatile guard who would fit well in the Golden State system. At 6-foot-6, he's got the length to be a disruptive defender, and while he entered the league as primarily a point guard, he's equally capable as a ball-handler or off-ball catch-and-shoot threat.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBall's NBA career hasn’t gone according to plan thus far. The UCLA product checked off just about every box there was entering his rookie season with the Lakers. Ball was among the best ambidextrous passers and on-ball defenders in the country, and proved that he could still be effective as a perimeter shot despite his wonky jump shot.
Unfortunately, while Ball’s on-ball defense is still top-tier, his long-range shooting, combined with his inability to stay healthy, has plagued him through 8.5 seasons (which explains why he's bounced around the league).
That said, could the Anaheim, California native be a serviceable asset with the Dubs for the rest of the 2025-26 season? Perhaps, but Steve Kerr would have to do everything in his power to give Ball the best chance to succeed in the Bay.
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