It was a nice vacation spot in a remote part of Fiji. That’s why Lonzo Ball was the last to know.
On June 28, news broke that he was headed to the Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, ending his stay with the Bulls. The problem is, Fiji is 17 hours ahead, so Ball was fast asleep.
When he woke up and saw his phone, he knew.
But, honestly, Ball had a feeling back in February, when he signed a two-year, $20 million extension to stay a Bull. It was a team-friendly deal that he knew would be perfect in a trade.
“I woke up and my phone was just . . . I couldn’t even go through it,” Ball said Thursday after the second preseason game against his former team. “So I called the coaches and thanked everybody, then got up and got on a plane to Cleveland.
“I wasn’t surprised, nah. It was just in the air [with that contract]. I loved being in Chicago, whether I was here or not. I was just thankful to be on the court still. But either way it went, I would have been happy, quite honestly.”
It couldn’t have gone any better for Ball.
He’s on a franchise that finished last season as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference before underachieving with a second-round exit against the Pacers. The Cavs are the prohibitive favorites in the East, and the goal, obviously, is a much deeper run this time around.
That’s why they acquired Ball. He’ll use the regular season as a long conditioning drill, playing on minutes restrictions and sitting out back-to-backs, then be turned loose in the postseason.
“I kind of knew what I was coming to,” Ball said. “[The Cavaliers] literally have everything you could want in this league, especially with the way our bigs are now. We have modern bigs, so for me, it’s just coming in and doing my job and trying to push this even further.”
Ideally for Ball, his former team also will push its season further, benefitting from the addition of Okoro.
That’s how much he appreciates the Bulls for the patience and loyalty they showed him while he spent almost 2½ years recovering from surgery on his left knee.
“I think teams trade to try to get better, so Chicago did what was best for them, and I think Cleveland did what they thought was best for them,” Ball said. “So all I can control is where I’m at and who I’m playing for, and that’s the Cavs right now. Go out there and give them my all.”
There’s also the recent precedent of a Bull going to a team that needed a final push. Alex Caruso was sent to the Thunder before the 2024-25 season, and he helped the Thunder win it all.
“I think we’re impactful players in general, me and him,” Ball said. “Caruso did make an impact immediately, and that’s what I’m looking to do here.”
And in case Ball thought he was going to get out of the preseason game at the United Center on Thursday without a little emotion, the Bulls put on a video tribute for him in the first quarter, and, yeah, it tugged at the heartstrings a bit.
“Just thankful, man,” Ball said. “I made a lot of good relationships here on and off the court.
‘‘Loved the city of Chicago, and, as you can see, the fans still rock with me, so a lot of love to them. But coaches, man, even my teammates, it’s always great seeing them and hope the best for them moving forward, for sure.”
