Lonzo Ball excited about 'great situation' with Cavaliers - ESPN

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Lonzo Ball doesn't have to worry about rehabbing from a knee injury for the first time in a couple of seasons.

Instead, the veteran guard will use the offseason to get acclimated to a new team.

Ball was at the Cleveland Cavaliers' practice complex meeting with the medical staff and coaches on Monday after his trade from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro was finalized on Sunday.

Chicago and Cleveland agreed to the trade on June 28, but it didn't become official until the start of the new league year on Sunday.

«I think it's a great situation for my play style,» Ball said. «Don [Donovan Mitchell] is one of the best players we have in the league. And they have two bigs that are mobile, can set pick-and-rolls and get to the rim like that. And then do some switching on defense.

»I think we can do a lot of different things on both sides of the ball, and to have the option to be able to do those things is great."

Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games this past season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of a left knee injury. The 27-year old Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgeries failed to fix an injury he suffered during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22.

He missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right wrist but was encouraged by the way his knee held up throughout the season.

«After the games I didn't really know what to expect. But, you know, when I first got back versus Minnesota in that preseason game, I was kind of surprised that I was moving around,» Ball said. «I feel like I just got better as the year went on. Unfortunately, I had to deal with my wrist,