The Chicago Bulls were known to be sellers coming into the 2025 NBA trade deadline and began that work over the weekend by trading Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings as part of the three-team trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs.

The question that remained for the Bulls was who else they’d look to move off of in an effort to continue gathering future assets. Nikola Vucevic is their best remaining veteran and figures to be on the move before Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, but they also have some younger players that could command a first rounder in return and also had a decision to make on Lonzo Ball, who can be a free agent this summer.

After listening to offers on the veteran guard, the Bulls chose a different option and signed Ball to a two-year, $20 million extension, per Shams Charania. The second year of the deal is a team option, per K.C. Johnson of CHSN. Ball has had a solid 2024-25 campaign to this point, averaging 7.2 points, 3.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in 30 appearances for the Bulls. In a vacuum, those numbers don’t stand out, but given Ball missed more than two full seasons with a knee injury that created genuine concern he may never play again, they are fairly remarkable as he knocks off rust.

The extension makes plenty of sense on both sides. Given his injury history, Ball seeking out some financial stability is more than understandable. For the Bulls, they keep a respected veteran on the roster as they shift their attention towards a youth movement, and no matter his play on the court, the Bulls clearly value what Ball brings to their locker room. If Ball continues to work his way back into his previous form, that contract will be quite a value and anything you’d get for him now (and probably more) would be available in a year or two.