NBA Rumors: Bulls looking to trade or buyout Lonzo Ball as retooling continues

NBA Rumors: As the Chicago Bulls prepare for an offseason of change, it's becoming evident that Lonzo Ball may have already played his final game for the team.

The retooling - or rebuilding - of the Chicago Bulls roster, however you want to define it, has officially begun. The Bulls opened the NBA offseason off with a bang as they traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey. From all indications, this is just the start of what could end up being a busy offseason for the Bulls.

There's a belief that Chicago has many more moves on the horizon which could include not only trading Zach LaVine and/or Nikola Vucevic but also a potential trade or buyout of Lonzo Ball. Ball, who hasn't played in a game for the Bulls since the 2021-22 NBA season, is eyeing a potential return to the floor this year. But there's at least an outside chance that he may have played his final game in a Bulls uniform.

As the team explores a new chapter for the franchise moving forward and the unlikelihood for Ball to be considered a part of those future plans, all signs point toward an upcoming divorce for both sides.

Lonzo Ball may have played his final game in a Chicago Bulls uniform

If this is how his tenure in Chicago ends, it will be quite unfortunate. Especially considering how promising his first season with the team was. Many may not remember but the Bulls were sitting as the No. 1 seed when Ball was originally injured in 2022. The Bulls' fall was largely impacted by the injury to Ball. His injury, if he never plays for the Bulls again, could end up being one of the biggest "what ifs" in NBA history.

It's a shame because that won't be remembered. Ball's original impact on the Bulls will be smeared by his injury and he'll go down as one of the bigger free-agency disappointments in the history of the team.

If Ball has played his last game in Chicago, it's only right to allow him to pick his next landing spot either via trade or buyout. At this point, with as much his career has been derailed, Ball deserves to be put in the best position to succeed. And allowing him to be a free agent, via buyout, could be how the Bulls honor him.