Chicago Bulls acquiring former Auburn standout in NBA trade
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls have agreed to a trade that will exchange forward Isaac Okoro for guard Lonzo Ball.
Reported on Saturday by ESPN, The Athletic and USA Today Sports, the trade cannot be completed until July 6, when the free-agent moratorium period ends.
Okoro joined the Cavaliers from Auburn as the fifth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
In the 2024-25 season, Okoro averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 55 regular-season games. All those numbers are career lows, as are his 22 starts. Okoro started 67 games for Cleveland as a rookie, and his number of starts has declined annually since.
RELATED: CLEVELAND’S ISAAC OKORO: ‘WE WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN THE NBA FINALS’
In 334 regular-season games, Okoro has averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Okoro could be competing with the player picked immediately before him in the 2020 NBA Draft, Patrick Williams, and Ayo Dosunmu to start at small forward in Chicago.
The second pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Ball did not play between Jan. 14, 2022, and Oct. 23, 2024, because of knee injuries.
In the 2024-25 season, Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 35 games, with 14 starts.
In 287regular-season games, Ball has averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 assists during his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Bulls.
During the 2024-25 season, Cleveland carried the No. 1 seed into the East into the playoffs after posting a 64-18 regular-season record. The Indiana Pacers eliminated the Cavs in five games in the second round.
The Bulls posted a 39-43 record in 2024-25. Chicago’s season ended with a 109-90 loss to the Miami Heat in a play-in game.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.