NBA Rumors: Lonzo Ball Reveals His Reaction To Being Traded To The Pelicans
Once the 2019-20 NBA season kicks off next month, fans will be seeing Lonzo Ball in a new uniform as he suits up for the New Orleans Pelicans after two seasons wearing the purple-and-gold of the Los Angeles Lakers. As one of three young players traded to New Orleans in exchange for superstar big man Anthony Davis, Ball will be getting a fresh start with the Pelicans, where he and fellow ex-Lakers Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart will be joining forces with veteran guards Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick and this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Zion Williamson. But how did this Southern California native feel about getting traded from his home team, and how did he learn about the blockbuster deal in the first place?
During a recent appearance on Los Angeles radio station KRRL (aka Real 92.3), Ball opened up about the day when he found out he was being traded to the Pelicans, telling radio host Big Boy that he first read about the deal on Twitter. As quoted by USA Today, Ball had no idea that he was on the trading block at the time the news first broke out.
“We was in the car. We had just left my grandfather’s house on the way to [younger brother LaMelo’s] Drew League game. That’s how we found out…. I don’t know everybody’s situation, but that’s how we all found out.”
Although Ball continued that he, Ingram, and Hart had long expected to be traded by the Lakers at some point in the future, he also told Big Boy that he took the deal as a personal affront.
“I think you should,” Ball explained. “I mean, like, they got rid of you. They don’t want you no more, so you got to take it personal.”
Lonzo Ball denies "dissing" Lakers on new song: https://t.co/6850sFy8vs pic.twitter.com/XKsk4cEuXT
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) August 29, 2019
Despite dealing with multiple injuries during his time in Los Angeles, Ball has averaged 10 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game since joining the league as the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, per Bleacher Report. As a member of the Pelicans, Ball will likely have a lot of chances to make a bigger impact in his third year in the league, as the outlet predicted he could be a good fit for New Orleans’ fast-paced style while playing alongside — and learning from — longtime Pelicans mainstay Jrue Holiday.
Lonzo Ball’s latest comments about his trade from the Lakers to the Pelicans came just days after the 21-year-old point guard released a song where he said that Los Angeles is “going to regret their decision,” as reported by Complex. Ball, however, downplayed suggestions that he was “dissing” anyone in specific through his latest single, as he took to Twitter to clarify that he “loved [his] time in LA” and uses his musical endeavors as an “outlet to express things that happen” in his life.
