Lonzo Ball reportedly will undergo a third surgical procedure in an attempt to resolve the pain and discomfort in his left knee that has kept him off the court for the majority of his first two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
According to reports from ESPN and The Athletic, Ball will undergo this procedure by the end of the month and then begin a lengthy recovery process. Ball ultimately could spend two full years — or more — away from the basketball court with a recovery timeline that will likely sideline him for most of the 2023-24 season.
Ball has not been able to play basketball since Jan. 14, 2022, when he suffered a meniscus injury that required surgery. Despite early predictions from the Bulls that he would be available by the playoffs that year, Ball continued to experience pain and discomfort that ultimately required an arthroscopic debridement procedure on Sept. 28.
As Ball’s recovery continued to stretch out — steeped in uncertainty as his pain and discomfort did not cease — talk from Bulls players and coaches shifted from eagerness to see his return to full-fledged worry over his state of being.
In rare availabilities with reporters over the last year, Ball has emphasized he is working to remain optimistic and levelheaded as he pursues a full recovery. His father, LaVar Ball, reiterated that hopefulness in a February interview with Bulls announcer Stacey King. But the mystery surrounding the source of the pain throws a heavier shroud over Ball’s injury, especially for an athlete who was only 24 when the injury occured.
As Ball prepares to potentially miss his third-straight season, the Bulls face a difficult conundrum as they attempt to balance their roster. Ball signed a four-year, $80 million deal in August 2021. If he misses next season, he will have played only 35 games of the first three years of that deal.
Last summer, the Bulls stood pat in the offseason with the hopes of Ball returning to the starting point guard position, relying on backup players like Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu to fill the role in the interim.
The addition of Patrick Beverley has helped the Bulls to improve their ball distribution in the final stretch this season. But with another lengthy recovery timeline for Ball, they’ll need to prepare for next season without their star — which means locking down a more permanent solution at point guard.
