The Los Angeles Lakers face a dilemma as young star Lonzo Ball reportedly has a torn left meniscus.
The NBA offseason is getting ready to boil over with LeBron James set to announce his decision at any point. Add in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes and things are starting to get really spicy. Unlike previous seasons, the Lakers are ready to be big players in free agency. Unsurprisingly, that means the team have their eyes on all three of the big names, James, Leonard, and even Paul George.
Part of getting James to come to the City of Angels is acquiring a proven star, perhaps Leonard. One name linked to some potential trades for the Spurs All-Star was Lonzo Ball, but that comes into question now with some new injury news.
According to Shams Charania, Ball has a torn left meniscus, though he expects to be ready for training camp.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball has a torn meniscus in his left knee, league sources tell Yahoo. Ball is expected to be ready for training camp next season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2018
The former number two overall pick in the NBA draft was hampered by injuries last season, missing 30 games throughout. Maybe the meniscus injury was something he struggled with toward the end of the season and this is the first people are hearing of it.
Regardless, this throws a minor wrench in some of the potential plans the Lakers were beginning to draw up. The young star has a bright future, and impressed in his 52 games last season. His 10.2 points and 7.2 assists per game earned him all rookie second team honors, which is nothing to scoff at.
Rumors surfaced that Ball may be included in a package deal with the Spurs for Leonard, but that seems unlikely now. Not that there was much credence to it in the first place, but this should put those rumors to bed.
The prized point guard could become the face of the Lakers for years to come, especially if he plays with any combination of James, Leonard and George.