Lonzo Ball's Top Landing Spots amid NBA Rumors on Future After Cavs-Jazz Trade

Lonzo Ball is reportedly headed towards free agency after he was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Utah Jazz are expected to waive Ball after acquiring him along with two second-round draft picks in a swap with the Cavaliers.

Ball was previously linked to the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards on the trade market. Both teams could choose to pursue him as a free agent.

He might also be a target of a playoff contender searching for perimeter defense such as the Los Angeles Lakers.

Washington may choose to search elsewhere considering its backcourt is fairly crowded following multiple recent transactions, though.

The Wizards added Trae Young in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9 before obtaining Dallas Mavericks guards Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum as part of a swap headlined by the acquisition of Mavericks star Anthony Davis on Wednesday.

While the Hornets also traded for Chicago Bulls guard Coby White on Wednesday, they sent Collin Sexton to Chicago and could look to add another defensive-minded guard such as Ball.

Charlotte also gives him the opportunity to team up with his younger brother, LaMelo.

The Lakers provide some familiarity for Lonzo as well, spending the first two years of his career with them after he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

Los Angeles currently sits at 30-19, although its 116.9 defensive rating ranks No. 24 among all teams (via NBA.com).

Ball was expected to play a large role in Cleveland's backcourt rotation following the offseason departure of Ty Jerome, but struggled to make a consistent impact when available due to his inefficient scoring.

He averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game on just 30.1/27.2/66.7 shooting splits with the Cavs.

With Ball seemingly headed towards free agency, his defensive acumen should still cause teams to show interest in him and hope that his shooting efficiency improves with a change of scenery.