Day: February 21, 2023

The Chicago Bulls are shutting down Lonzo Ball for the remainder of this season. Ball hasn’t played this year, while dealing with pain and discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee.

Ball was diagnosed with a bone bruise and small meniscus tear in his left knee in January of 2022. He underwent surgery and was initially given a potential return date before the end of last season. Ball had a setback in March and missed the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

While rehabbing, Ball had fits and starts with his recovery, including needing to be shut down at different points due to continued soreness in his left knee. Now, the Bulls have made the decision to close the door on the sixth-year guard playing this season. Chicago is signing Patrick Beverley to a rest-of-season contract, as the Bulls continue to push for a playoff spot.

Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals and nearly a block per game in 35 games for Chicago last season. At the time he was injured in mid-January, the Bulls were near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Chicago ultimately fell to sixth in the conference and lost a 4-1 series to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls are expected to waive backup center Tony Bradley. This move will free up the roster spot Chicago needs to sign guard Patrick Beverley.

Bradley is finishing the second season of a two-year minimum contract he signed with Chicago in 2021. He’ll be on the Bulls books for roughly $2 million in dead salary upon being waived. Bradley is expected to garner interest from teams that are still in the market for a backup center.

Bradley’s role significantly reduced after Chicago traded for Nikola Vucevic last season and signed Andre Drummond this past offseason. The sixth-year center has appeared in 12 games for the Bulls this season.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed head coach Jacque Vaughn to a multi-year extension. Vaught became the Nets head coach when Brooklyn fired Steve Nash earlier this season.

Vaughn has gone 32-19 while leading Brooklyn this season. He was previously 7-3 as the Nets interim head coach in the NBA bubble during the completion of the 2020 season.

Brooklyn players have praised Vaughn for his leadership, attention to detail and focus on defense since he took over for Nash. The Nets will now have him leading the sidelines as they retool their roster following trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the 2023 trade deadline.