The Chicago Bulls don’t expect Lonzo Ball to return to the lineup before the end of the 2023/24 season, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas told media after the NBA Draft.
“Everything is going well,” Karnisovas said. “Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season and he’s going to continue on his recovery.”
“If he comes back, it would be great but we’re just going to treat this offseason and getting ready for the season that he’s not going to be back.”
Lonzo Ball has been out since January 2022 and has undergone three knee surgeries. He hasn’t fully recovered yet and his career could be in jeopardy.
“I hope eventually we’re going to see him on a basketball court,” Karnisovas said. “But I do not think he’s going to be back next year.” The third surgery took place in March and the No.2 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft is still recovering.
Lonzo Ball joined the Bulls prior to the 2021-22 season. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists over 35 games in 2020-21 prior to suffering this knee injury. He signed a four-year, $80M deal with Chicago in 2021 and the Bulls have no plans to waive him yet.
