Lonzo Ball – New Orleans Pelicans
After the Pelicans made him available in trade talks earlier this year, New Orleans seems like they are going to hold onto Lonzo Ball at the trade deadline this year, but the Hawks have still expressed their interest in the former #2 overall pick.
Multiple teams have reportedly expressed interest in Lonzo Ball and for good reason. Not only is he having a career-year scoring, but he has continued to be a fantastic primary ball-handler and overall facilitator. The best attribute of Lonzo Ball’s game though is his ability to play off-the-ball.
This season, he is averaging 14.2 points, 5.6 assists and is shooting 38.5% from three-point range. With Trae Young being the primary ball-handler and facilitator for the Atlanta Hawks, Ball would likely play off-the-ball a lot and could be an excellent secondary scoring option for them in the backcourt.
The biggest question marks surrounding the 23-year-old guard though is whether or not the Pelicans are willing to move him. New Orleans is in an interesting position as a franchise, as they are currently on the outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference and do not have much overall talent on their roster.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 4 teams in real need of making a change at the NBA trade deadline
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are the two main scoring options on this team and over 50% of their total scoring each game comes from these two and Lonzo Ball combined. For this reason alone is why the Pelicans may wind up holding onto Ball, but the Hawks are still interested in him and should continue to explore a trade for him if talks between Marcus Smart fall through.
