The Golden State Warriors shook up their roster at the NBA trade deadline in acquiring big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks and finally parting ways with Jonathan Kuminga. The Nuggets made a minor deal sending Hunter Tyson to the Brooklyn Nets. But with both the Warriors and Nuggets looking to make a push in the Western Conference standings, they might not be done with roster moves, turning their attention to the buyout market and veteran point guard Lonzo Ball, as per ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel.
Lonzo Ball hit the buyout market after being waived by the Utah Jazz following the trade deadline, and the both the Warriors and Nuggets are looking to add guard depth to their roster. Both teams currently have an open roster spot in which to potentially add Ball.
With Ball, he began this year with the Cleveland Cavaliers following an offseason trade with the Chicago Bulls involving Isaac Okoro. Ball was supposed to give the Cavs a strong backup point guard option, but he just didn’t have the expected effect thus far. The Cavs traded him to the Jazz at the deadline, and both parties agreed to a contract buyout.
Ball appeared in 35 games for the Cavs this season, including three starts, at a little over 20 minutes per game. He was averaging a career-low 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 30.1 percent shooting from the field, 27.2 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 66.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, this is Ball’s seventh season in the NBA in which he’s been healthy. He was sidelined for two full seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24 while dealing with multiple knee injuries.
