Bulls remain in a holding pattern in deciding Lonzo Ball's future with the organization, but 'he's progressing well'

CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Injured Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball’s latest rehab process from a debilitating left knee injury continues to progress as hoped, but the team remains in a holding pattern as it determines his future with the organization, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said.

Ball, 26, hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 14, 2022 as he has suffered from a chronic left knee injury that has necessitated three surgeries during his tenure in Chicago. The most recent operation was a cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023, which represented a last-ditch effort to save his basketball career. Ball has missed the entirety of the past two NBA seasons.

“We’re just going to wait and see his progression the next couple months,” Karnisovas said Saturday at the Advocate Center in a season-ending press conference a day after Chicago lost at Miami in the play-in round. “He’s progressing well. Everything is looking with no setbacks. So we’ll see where he’s at in a couple months.”

Ball has a $21.3-million player option for the 2024-’25 season. He’ll surely exercise it, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be on the team. If the Bulls believe Ball can’t play again next season, they’ll have the option of applying for a career-ending injury provision that would clear his salary from their books if an independent medical panel ruled in their favor. Separate from that, they could also include him as salary filler in a potential trade.

For now, the Bulls aren’t operating in that mindset. They hope he’ll get healthy enough to at least contribute in some manner next season. In early March, Ball was cleared for advanced rehab activities, which notably included sprinting and cutting. The big hurdle that remains is taking contact in the uncontrolled environment of five-on-five basketball.

Ball’s father, LaVar, recently indicated that Ball could return to full-contact work in August or early September. Of course, the trouble with that is the Bulls – for all practical purposes – would like to have clarity on Ball’s health by the NBA Draft in late June and the start of free agency in July, when transaction season will be well underway. On Saturday, Karnisovas also vowed to make changes to the roster.

“He’s improving,” Karnisovas said of Ball. “We’ll see where he is at next couple of months. There's no setbacks, so we’ll see where he's at in terms of on court and the basketball side. So we’ll figure it out.”

Ball was the catalyst of the Bulls’ success in the first half of the 2021-’22 season before he was hurt, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range as the team ascended to first place in the Eastern Conference for a time.

Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund .