It’s been less than 20 months since Lonzo Ball left his hometown team in Los Angeles to join the New Orleans Pelicans in a blockbuster deal that sent Anthony Davis to L.A. Now, he could be on the move, but could it be to the Miami Heat?
There may be no one happier about that trade than the Lakers, as it ended up being the jump the team needed to climb to win the 2020 NBA Finals.
So what has Ball been up to on the Pelicans? So far in 88 career games, he’s averaged 12.9 points per game, 5.9 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game. All slight improvements from his time in L.A., as you’d expect from a third and fourth year player.
This year, through 23 games, both his field goal percentage and three-point percentage are the highest in his career. He’s up to 42.4 percent from the field, and 38.1 percent from deep. Add on a 55.4 true shooting percentage, and all of his shooting categories are tops in his career.
Lonzo Ball’s experience on the court as a dependable role player along with the newfound shooting confidence got the attention of one Heat front office member.
Interestingly enough, as Peter Dewey notes on Heat Nation:
“New Orleans drafted point guard Kira Lewis Jr. in the first round of the 2020 draft, so it is likely that Ball isn’t a part of the team’s long-term plans.”
“The Heat could use help at the guard position with Goran Dragic banged up, but it isn’t clear what Miami would have to give up to acquire Ball.”
Whether it’s a band-aid fix to keep Miami in playoff contention, or a real long-term interest, it’s hard to tell. Either way, a trade could be on the way for the former No. 2 overall pick heading to the Heat.