Former UCLA Star Dealt to Pistons in NBA Mock Trade

An NBA analyst has proposed a trade that would send former UCLA star Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls to the Detroit Pistons before the NBA trade deadline.

Jan 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls may move Lonzo Ball before the NBA trade deadline, and given his situation with the Bulls, a trade would make sense.

Ball is in the final year of his contract, and Chicago isn't going anywhere. Plus, the 27-year-old missed two whole seasons due to knee issues. He has finally gotten healthy this year, but it doesn't seem like he makes much sense in the Windy City at this stage.

In spite of his injury history, Ball is apparently drawing significant interest on the trade market, so the Bulls may find a deal for him before Feb. 6.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has proposed a mock draft for the former UCLA Bruins star, projecting Ball to get dealt to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. and a couple of second-round draft picks.

"The Pistons have been terrific recently, creeping up to the top-six race in the Eastern Conference while being led by Cade Cunningham’s outstanding play," Vecenie wrote. "However, the team could use another ballhandler who could potentially play in lineups with Cunningham after the team lost Jaden Ivey indefinitely to a broken leg. The benefit to Ball is that he ticks all of the boxes Detroit needs. He’d be an awesome defender for a team that is putting an increased emphasis on that end of the court under J.B. Bickerstaff this season."

Ball had a bit of a breakout game the other night, scoring 18 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets. On the season overall, he is averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game on 37.2/34.7/82.4 shooting splits.

The fact that Ball is struggling to find his shot is not all too surprising given the extensive amount of time he missed the previous couple of campaigns. But the thing with Ball is that he offers a lot outside of his scoring ability.

The UCLA product is a willing passer and has terrific floor vision, so he could absolutely bring something to the table for a surprisingly solid Pistons team. Not only that, but he can guard multiple positions on the defensive end.

We'll see if the Bulls end up rehoming Ball before the deadline.

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