Lonzo Ball will not be coming to the Celtics
The Celtics did not win the Lonzo Ball sweepstakes.
Feb 21, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball (2) looks to pass the ball against Boston Celtics during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Celtics will not be the winners of the Lonzo Ball sweepstakes, as the 23-year-old has signed a four-year, $85 million offer sheet with the Chicago Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade between the Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans.
In exchange for Ball, the Pelicans will receive guards Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple, as well as a future second-round pick, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.
It was always unlikely that the Celtics were going to pull off a move for Ball, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft, but the C's did enter the open market with a reported interest in the ex-Laker guard. It surely helped that the California-born Ball showed some significant improvement in his scoring game in 2020-21, too, with a career-high 14.6 points per game, along with a career-best 41.4 field goal percentage (and 37.8 percent mark from beyond the arc), in 55 games for New Orleans.
Ball is not the only now-off-the-board talent for the Celtics, as Kelly Olynyk signed a three-year deal with the Detroit Pistons shortly into the start of free agency.
Olynyk, who spent the first four years of his eight-year NBA career with the Celtics, was one of the veterans linked to the C's by the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach ahead of the start of free agency.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
