The Golden State Warriors have been linked to the Ball family for years, from the three brothers emulating Stephen Curry's free style and infinite range as high school players, to Golden State choosing James Wiseman over LaMelo Ball with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Over the past few weeks they forged another connection as they seriously considered signing the eldest brother, Lonzo Ball, off of the buyout market. NBA Insider Marc Stein recently revealed that the Warriors did in fact get close to signing Ball. The reason they did not? His knees.
Lonzo Ball's tortured path
Ball has had an up-and-down career since the Los Angeles Lakers took him second overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Billed as this do-it-all offensive star, Ball has never been able to put that potential together to be an All-Star type of player. Instead, he carved out a career as a ball-moving, knockdown shooting, defensively versatile support player.
Then disaster struck, as Ball suffered a debilitating knee injury and struggled for years to return. Over two full calendar years eclipsed between appearances for Ball as he battled his way back to the NBA court. After 35 games down the stretch last season for the Chicago Bulls, however, it looked like he was back to being an NBA player -- one with chronic knee issues, but one who could help a good team.
That's what the Cleveland Cavaliers thought when they traded for him this past offseason, but the Eastern Conference contenders soon realized that he didn't have the juice to give them what they needed. He fell to the fringes of the rotation, and then was salary dumped at the Trade Deadline and summarily waived.
The Warriors could have signed Lonzo Ball
Now three weeks removed from the NBA Trade Deadline, the entire league has had the opportunity to sign Lonzo Ball to a rest-of-season contract. The reason that no one has is likely an indictment of his value around the NBA. According to Marc Stein on the All-NBA podcast, Ball's top suitor was the Warriors.
On the one hand, it's hard to look at the Warriors' roster and conclude that what they need is another guard. They remain inundated with them -- but not with healthy ones, which is where the interest in Ball likely stems. Sure, the Warriors have eight guards on their 14-man roster (and two of their three two-way players are also guards), but many of them are currently injured. Stephen Curry is the most prominent such name, but Seth Curry has been sidelined for weeks, and Gary Payton and Will Richard are touch-and-go.
What the Warriors could reasonably conclude that they need is another guard -- that's probably wrong, as what they truly need is a wing with size, but those players are not exactly plentiful on the open market. It makes sense that they could decide to pursue a guard, especially a larger guard like Lonzo, listed at 6'5".
Ball is not what the Warriors need
What the Warriors do not need is another injured guard. They need someone to step in and reliably be available to play minutes until Curry (one and two) are ready to return. That could be two games, it could be 10, but it needs to be all of them. Signing an injured player with knee problems is not in the cards.
The Warriors reportedly got a look at Ball's medicals and walked away. That's not a great sign for Ball and his prospects of catching on with a team. Perhaps someone brings him aboard to get him into their medical program with hopes of getting him back on a minimum for next season. For now, however, his market is limited.
It once appeared that the Warriors would be his salvation. That didn't happen - and now we know the reason why.