Following his acquisition in a three-way deal involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lonzo Ball is anticipated to be released by the Utah Jazz, making the guard eligible for free agency, as reported by Shams Charania of ESPN on Wednesday.
Along with the 28-year-old Ball, the Cavaliers are reportedly also transferring their second-round draft selections for the years 2028 and 2032 to the Jazz, per NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Numerous sources indicate that the Jazz, as part of this transaction, are moving center Jock Landale to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for financial assets.
The Jazz are obtaining two second-round draft choices, while the Hawks are securing Landale — a 30-year-old big man who previously averaged personal bests of 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest for the Memphis Grizzlies before his initial trade to Utah in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal — and the Cavaliers are reducing their payroll amidst a turbulent trade deadline period that has already seen them acquire James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Shröder.
According to The Athletic, offloading Ball’s contract relieves Cleveland of his $10 million annual salary commitment.
Last summer, Ball joined the Cavaliers, making them his fourth team since he was drafted second overall from UCLA in the 2017 NBA Draft. Prior to this, he had stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Chicago Bulls, with the Bulls having sent him to Cleveland in exchange for wing player Isaac Okoro.
Cleveland had sought to strengthen its backcourt at that point, especially after Ty Jerome departed in free agency. Nevertheless, Ball has not delivered the performance the Cavaliers envisioned.
This season, he is achieving a low shooting percentage of 30.1% overall and a notably poor 27.2% from three-point range. His average of 4.6 points per game represents his lowest career output by a significant margin.
Furthermore, Ball is averaging only 3.9 assists per game, which is his second-lowest figure since entering the NBA. He averaged 20.8 minutes across his 35 appearances for the Cavaliers.
Ball made his return to gameplay in October 2024, marking his first appearance in over 1,000 days, having been sidelined for two and a half seasons due to various knee ailments.
From that point onward, he has not managed to register more than 18 points in any single match.
