Lonzo Ball is not expected to play a single game in 2023 after having pain in his knee following multiple surgeries in 2022. What the Chicago Bulls are reportedly planning on doing with him was revealed per The Athletic’s Shams Charania

The Bulls have reportedly applied for a disabled player exception for Ball. This means that Bulls can replace Ball’s spot on the roster since he will most likely be out for the whole year.

The exception will be worth half of Ball’s salary if it goes through, which means it would be for $10.2 million. Chicago would have to add a player who is in the final year of their contract.

Ball was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers out of UCLA in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Lakers took Ball with the second-overall pick.

Ball was then traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 and traded again to the Bulls in 2021.

When Ball last played for the Bulls during the 2021-2022 season, he averaged 13 points and 5.1 assists per game.

Chicago’s 2022 season ended in the NBA Play-In round of the playoffs. The Bulls lost to the Miami Heat, who would go on to the make it to the NBA Finals.

The Heat eventually lost to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.