LaVar Ball Says the Lakers Will Never Win a Championship If Lonzo Gets Traded
LaVar Ball, the father of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, made it clear on Fox's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed that he does not want his son to be traded and shared his opinion on why Los Angeles needs him.
"If [the Lakers] trade my son, it will be the worst thing you ever did," Ball said. "If they trade my son, they will never get a championship....LeBron James without Lonzo will not win a championship in L.A. I guarantee that."
This week, the Lakers have reportedly discussed a trade package with the Pelicans for star Anthony Davis and reportedly offered to include Lonzo, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the deal. However, talks between the Pelicans and Lakers are "dormant" and there's no expectation that the teams will talk on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ball went on to criticize Ingram, Hart and Kuzma, saying that they're "struggling" without his son. Lonzo has missed the Lakers' last seven games with an ankle injury and was originally expected to return within four to six weeks.
"Whoever plays with my son is going to go up," Ball said. "The fact that Lonzo's not playing right now, those players that you thought were good, they ain't that good...Brandon Ingram's struggling, Hart's struggling, Kuzma's struggling. They're all going to struggle if Lonzo's not there."
When host Shannon Sharpe suggested to Ball that Lonzo's not the best player on the Lakers, he responded, "Are you crazy?"
Sharpe was quick to ask, "Are you saying Lonzo is better than LeBron?"
"Yes," Ball said. "LeBron is getting older. I mean I'll make 'Zo better than LeBron if I'm coaching because I'm going to let him loose."
The possible landing spots of Lonzo and his teammates remains up in the air as the trade deadline looms. Keep up with the latest deadline news and rumors here.