Knicks Rumors: Lonzo Ball Interested in NY; LaVar Wants Sons 'on Broadway'
June 26, 2021
Four years after speaking Lonzo Ball to the Los Angeles Lakers into existence, LaVar Ball is working to bring his boys to Broadway.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, sources believe the elder Ball wants Lonzo to join the New York Knicks—and the franchise may have a spot for him.
Per Berman:
"Ball, the No. 2 pick of the 2017 draft, is a restricted free agent, but the [New Orleans] Pelicans might not match an offer sheet that starts at $19 million. Making Zion Williamson happy is their top priority, though, and it’s been reported they like playing together. Ball is a pass-first point guard the Knicks need, and he improved his 3-point shooting (37.8 percent) but has never performed against a playoff defense. [Knicks president] Leon Rose knows Lavar from their past when CAA repped the Balls. The father’s eccentricities are not an issue. Sources believe Lavar, a former Jets tight end on the practice squad, wants all his sons on Broadway, and the Knicks are on Lonzo’s radar."
In November, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the projected salary cap for the 2021-22 season at $112 million with the tax threshold at $136.6 million.
The Knicks have eight players signed for the 2021-22 season, with Spotrac projecting the team's payroll at $50.4 million with a projected practical cap space of $51.3 million.
That should give the surprisingly resurgent New York club a shot at adding multiple contributors to a rotation loaded with young talent like R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle.
At 23 years old, Ball is projected to receive a qualifying offer of at least $14.4 million after completing a rookie deal worth $33.5 million over four years. Despite showing a bit of regression in some areas during the 2020-21 season, Ball averaged a career-best 14.6 points per game with 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
There's no question the Knicks need more stability out of the point guard spot after the way their season ended in a first-round playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Derrick Rose entered the starting lineup for the final games of that series as Elfrid Payton was relegated to backup duties and Frank Ntilikina struggled to see the floor at all.
Ball presents a solid option for New York to solve that issue. He even has his father's desire to make it happen, which has typically been a good omen for where Ball will end up playing next.