The Bulls have applied to the NBA for a disabled player exception worth $10.2 million due to Lonzo Ball’s injury, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The news was confirmed by ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
If granted, the exception allows a team to replace a player who is out for the year. Ball is not expected to play during the 2023–24 season. Chicago would be allowed to trade or claim a player only in the final year of their contract or sign a free agent to a one-year deal.
On March 16, the Bulls announced Ball would undergo a cartilage transplant—the third procedure on his left knee—after he was ruled out for the 2022–23 season due to knee pain. He hasn’t played since he left a Jan. 14, 2022, game with knee soreness, which eventually revealed a small tear in his meniscus.
Ball, 25, was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Lakers and was playing some of his best basketball for Chicago before his knee injuries began to trouble him. When he was last suiting up for the Bulls during the 2021–22 season, Ball was averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
