The Chicago Bulls are trapped in one of the NBA’s strangest positions. A few veterans keep them afloat while the rest of the roster consists of developing young players.
Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Coby White were among the Bulls players who prevented Chicago from landing a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Instead, they selected high-upside French forward Noa Essengue with the No. 12 pick in the draft. To avoid a similar fate in the 2026 campaign, the front office has already started parting ways with the established pieces of their roster.
Chicago Bulls Trade Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro
Ball is one of the bigger question marks across the league. While injuries have derailed his career thus far, he possesses the tools necessary to contribute to a championship contender.
The Cleveland Cavaliers clearly recognize this, as ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news Saturday morning they are trading for Ball. He posted to his X account, writing, “BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are trading Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, sources tell ESPN.”
BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are trading Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/W0FTrRhe7y
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 28, 2025
Although Ball has not appeared in more than 60 games since the 2020 season, the goal of this trade for the Cavaliers is to eliminate Darius Garland’s inconsistent nights. Garland has the ability to record 30 points or fewer than 10, so on those latter evenings, the hope is that the former Bulls guard can come in and contribute on both ends of the floor.
Ball has never been an elite scorer, averaging a career-high 14.6 points in 2021. However, when healthy, he’s an above-average playmaker and perimeter defender. These attributes are what make him a quality role player on a contender. Meanwhile, this move makes little sense for Chicago.
Lonzo Ball is a SPECIAL talent.
When healthy, he was so much fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/RyZ1aSxvp4
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) June 28, 2025
While Okoro has consistently been on the floor, he is statistically worse offensively in almost every category while displaying a similar level of defensive prowess as Ball. Okoro also has two guaranteed seasons left on his three-year, $33 million contract, meaning he’s not an expiring contract like Ball that the front office has the freedom to get rid of after the upcoming season.
What makes this trade even more confusing for the Bulls is the fact that they turned down significantly better offers for Ball prior to February’s trade deadline, including Marcus Smart and a first-round pick from the Memphis Grizzlies.
It’s worth noting the Bulls could flip Okoro to a championship contender at the trade deadline if he’s able to increase his value.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have the ability to keep Ball around for one or two more seasons, depending on how he performs in 2026. He has a team option for the 2027 season. Cleveland fell disappointingly short in the playoffs to the eventual runner-up Indiana Pacers, leading to rumors of a potential Garland or Jarrett Allen trade.
While this trade doesn’t eliminate the possibility of one of those All-Stars seeing a change of scenery, it signifies Cleveland’s desire to bolster the supporting cast around Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.
