Lonzo Ball Shares Thoughts on Getting Traded From Bulls to Cavaliers

The Chicago Bulls traded guard Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro last week, sending Ball to the fourth team of his NBA career.

Ball spent the last four seasons with the Bulls, but he missed two full seasons while dealing with ongoing issues in his left knee, which required multiple surgeries and transplants. Ball made his return last season, appearing in 35 games and averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Now, Ball feels that this trade to the Cavaliers "is a blessing," and is excited for the opportunity to compete for a championship in Cleveland.

“Just playing, competing for a ring. I feel like that should be the goal, I feel like that is the goal,” Ball said on the What an Experience podcast. “So, happy to get over there and get started. To meet everybody, get familiar with everything, and take it as far as we can.“

“Competing for a ring, that’s the goal,” - Lonzo Ball talks getting traded to the Cavs 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/nnPngjHVWE
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 5, 2025

“I feel like it’s just a blessing, bro," Ball said. "To be honest, everybody keeps asking me how I feel about the trade. I’m like, 'I’m happy to still be playing anywhere, let alone a team that has a real chance to win a ring.' My whole life, I feel like I’ve been playing the right brand of basketball, and that’s to win games. So I feel like I’m going to a great situation and I just want to play my role and do what I can to help.”

Ball has yet to appear in a postseason game throughout his career. He has played for only one team that made the playoffs, the 2021-22 Bulls, but he was out due to injury during the actual postseason.

By joining the Cavaliers, Ball has a prime chance to not just play in the postseason, but also compete for a championship. The Cavaliers are coming off a 2024-25 season in which they recorded the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18.

Though Cleveland was upset by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they should still remain a top team in the conference. With Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum recovering from torn achilles injuries, and plenty of other questions surrounding the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers are in a great spot heading into next season.