In the past months, rumors have been continuously swirling around Lonzo Ball and his future with the New Orleans Pelicans. Before the 2021 trade deadline, multiple signs were pointing out that the Pelicans would be trading the former No. 2 overall pick. Though he's perfectly fit with the timeline of franchise cornerstones Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, there were speculations that the Pelicans didn't have any interest in giving Ball a massive contract in the 2021 free agency.
Unfortunately, after interested teams failed to meet their asking price, the Pelicans were left with no choice but to keep Ball for the remainder of the 2020-21 NBA season.