The Bulls have applied to the NBA for a disabled player exception worth $10.2 million due to Lonzo Ball’s injury, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The news was confirmed by ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
If granted, the exception allows a team to replace a player who is out for the year. Ball is not expected to play during the 2023–24 season. Chicago would be allowed to trade or claim a player only in the final year of their contract or sign a free agent to a one-year deal.
On March 16, the Bulls announced Ball would undergo a cartilage transplant—the third procedure on his left knee—after he was ruled out for the 2022–23 season due to knee pain. He hasn’t played since he left a Jan. 14, 2022, game with knee soreness, which eventually revealed a small tear in his meniscus.
