In 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers saw Lonzo Ball as a potential franchise player. The team's president of basketball operations Magic Johnson even went as far as saying that he's going to bring ‘ShowTime' back in Los Angeles.
Roughly two years later, the Lakers are rumored to be willing to trade him.
Lonzo Ball had question marks to start his career, but with the trade deadline looming, those have been magnified even more.
According to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike, an anonymous NBA executive doesn't believe that Ball has “the personality” run a team.
The expectations were at an all-time high this season for Ball, despite being just a sophomore in the league. With the arrival of LeBron James in the purple and gold franchise, the Lakers viewed Ball to be the catalyst of a fast-paced offense that's similar to what Magic did in the 80s.
Article Continues BelowHowever, Ball has struggled to play with LeBron this season, averaging an underwhelming 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, significantly lower than his 10-7-8 line last year.
In addition, he has suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain last week, an injury that will cause him to miss four to six weeks. Last season, he was only able to play in 52 games because of an MCL sprain.
With all the issues concerning Ball's production and health, it is uncertain if another team will be willing to let go of a significant asset in a trade involving him.
Now, Ball's future with the Lakers is vague. Whether or not he will remain with the franchise will be determined in a few weeks.