Chicago Bulls return from All-Star Break at crossroads with 27 games left in season
Lonzo Ball talks his extension with the Chicago Bullls
Whatever the future holds for the Chicago Bulls, Lonzo Ball will remain a part of it. He talked about his recent two-year, $20 million extension.
The Chicago Bulls are back from the NBA All-Star Break and hopeful the time off provided a much-needed reset button, especially after suffering four-straight blow-out losses by an average of 22 points.
"I think for us, the last two days have been good, but we’ll see how we respond in New York when we play," Donovan said. "I think their attitude and spirit has always been good."
"But, there’s a lot of uncertainty that we’ll have to figure out."
What we know: Lonzo Ball is staying
While the break brought the Bulls rest, it didn’t provide answers for an organization still at a crossroads after trading away star player Zach LaVine.
"If you’re talking about the future, right now we got to be talking about doing things on a daily basis that are going to impact our organization in a positive way," Donovan said. "I’m not a big believer in taking games and saying let’s just see how this works."
One thing is certain, Lonzo Ball will be part of that future. The Bulls extended Ball with a 2-year, $20 million contract before the All-Star Break.
That's a decision that was common sense to the veteran guard.
"To be honest, I just wanted to stay here," Ball said. "I’m in trade talks every year that’s not anything new for me. But I expressed that with my agent and staff that I would like to say, they wanted to have me so it all worked out."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls reacts against the Detroit Pistons at the United Center on February 12, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloadin
What's next for the Bulls
With LaVine gone and Ball extended, the focus still shifts to Coby White being the player who defensive game planners are circling daily.
"These are the growth standpoints that he’s got to do," Donovan said. "If he wants to be the kind of player he wants to be, he’s now getting a full taste of what it’s like to be Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan cause he’s never really gone through that – I don’t want to say buffer – but there’s been other players around him and he’s never gotten that and now he is."
With just 27 games left in the regular season, the Bulls head out to New York next to take on the Knicks on Thursday night.