Bulls' Lonzo Ball to Have 3rd Surgery on Knee Injury; 2023-24 Status Reportedly TBD

Lonzo Ball's struggles with a knee injury reportedly may cost him the 2023-24 campaign as well.

The Chicago Bulls announced Thursday that Ball will undergo a cartilage transplant in his left knee—which will be his third surgery on the knee—and will be out indefinitely.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Ball is expected to miss "most, if not all, of the 2023-24 season" as a result, although Charania noted "the sides are optimistic of the procedure reviving Ball's career."

Ball addressed the latest procedure in a statement, noting he is focused on getting back on the court:

"My main focus has been on returning to the court and getting to a place where I can rejoin my teammates. This has been a frustrating process, but I'm confident these next steps are the best path forward. The support of my family, friends, fans and medical staff throughout my recovery is what keeps me moving forward. I can't wait to get back to what I love doing most–playing basketball."

Ball hasn't played since January 2022.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added more context to the latest development:

Chicago acquired the point guard with a four-year, $85 million deal as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, and things got off to an excellent start.

His floor spacing was especially important when playing alongside DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, and he connected on 42.3 percent of his triples while averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35 games with the team.

The Bulls climbed to as high as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and looked like a true threat. However, that momentum came to a halt when he was ruled out with a knee injury, although the initial expectation was he would return in time for the playoffs.

Then the team announced he was shut down in April 2022 because he "continues to experience pain with high-level physical activity" after surgery. Things got worse in September when he underwent another surgery, although he was expected to be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks with optimism he would play in 2022-23.

That has not happened, and Ball told reporters at one point he couldn't even walk up stairs without feeling pain.

Missing the 2023-24 season after being sidelined for so long would be quite the blow for the 25-year-old, who was once a promising young star who could impact the game in a number of ways.

As for the Bulls, the Ball situation has limited their ability to realistically compete in a win-now window with DeRozan, LaVine and Nikola Vučević. The team is fighting for a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament at 31-37.