The Golden State Warriors are reportedly eyeing veteran guard Lonzo Ball on the buyout market.
According to Jake Fischer, the Warriors are simultaneously working to sign Ball and convert two-way guard Pat Spencer’s deal into a standard contract.
As part of a three-team trade this week, Ball was dealt from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Utah Jazz. It was a pure salary dump for the Cavs, as they received nothing in the trade, which also included the Atlanta Hawks.
Shortly after the trade was made, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Jazz intended to waive Ball and make him a free agent.
The 28-year-old Ball was acquired by the Cavaliers this past offseason in a trade with the Chicago Bulls, but he struggled to establish himself as a consistent part of the rotation.
Ball appeared in 35 games for the Cavs this season, starting three of them. He averaged career lows in points per game (4.6) and minutes per game (20.8), while also chipping in 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 three-pointers made per contest.
The former UCLA standout’s lack of efficiency likely contributed to his inconsistent playing time this season, as he shot a career-worst 30.1 percent from the field and 27.2 percent from beyond the arc in Cleveland.
Ball entered the NBA as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, but he lasted only two seasons with the team before getting dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade.
After two seasons in New Orleans, Ball joined the Chicago Bulls, but he played only 70 games for the team over four seasons.
After appearing in 35 games in 2021-22, Ball missed the next two seasons in their entirety due to knee injuries. He returned to play in another 35 games for Chicago last season.
When healthy and on his game, Ball fills up the stat sheet as evidenced by his career averages of 10.6 points, 5.6 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 three-pointers made and 1.5 steals per contest.
If Ball signs with Golden State, he will join a team that is entrenched in a playoff race. At 28-24, the Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference. While they are firmly in the postseason play-in tournament picture, they would undoubtedly love to get into the top six in order to avoid the play-in.
Golden State is currently 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the sixth seed.
The Warriors are dealing with some significant injuries, as Jimmy Butler is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL, while superstar guard Stephen Curry is on the shelf with a knee injury.
Golden State also traded away Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield at the trade deadline in exchange for center Kristaps Porziņģis, but Porziņģis is currently out with an illness.
The Warriors are light on healthy, impact players right now, so Ball could be in for some significant playing time if they land him along with Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Draymond Green and a handful of others.