Bulls VP says Lonzo Ball will likely miss 2023-24 season with knee injury

The Chicago Bulls expect point guard Lonzo Ball to miss another season because of his left knee injury.

“Everything is going well,” executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said Thursday. “Going into the offseason, I think our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season and he’s going to continue on his recovery. If he comes back, it would be great.”

Ball hasn’t played since Jan. 14, 2022. He had a cartilage transplant in March, his third operation on the knee in a little more than a year. Karnisovas said Ball stopped using crutches last month.

Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Bulls in 2021. He’s played 35 games for Chicago since then and averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Ball’s contract includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.