Well, we probably were due for a bragadocious LaVar Ball soundbite.
The Ball patriarch has been surprisingly quiet this season, but he made his triumphant return to headlines Monday. While Lonzo Ball has been featured in all of the Los Angeles Lakers’ reported trade offers to the New Orleans Pelicans, the second-year guard won’t be heading to the Big Easy if his father has anything to say about it.
LaVar Ball tells ESPN that if Lonzo Ball is traded, he wants his son to go to Phoenix: “We want to be in LA. But if he’s traded, I don’t want Lonzo in New Orleans. Phoenix is the best fit for him. And I am going to speak it into existence.”
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) February 4, 2019
LaVar is correct about Lonzo’s fit in Phoenix. The Suns have been longing for point guard help, and Lonzo could fill that void without taking shots away from franchise cornerstone Devin Booker. Phoenix clearly has committed to its youth movement, so the addition of Lonzo would fit its apparent plan.
That said, LaVar nor Lonzo have much say in the 21-year-old’s future. If the Lakers wind up winning the Davis sweepstakes, it’s a near certainty Lonzo will be a part of the package sent to New Orleans. But luckily for LaVar, it sounds like the Purple and Gold currently aren’t making much headway in working out a blockbuster for The Brow.
LaVar guaranteed his son would become a Laker while he still was playing at UCLA. So if Lonzo isn’t in Los Angeles’ future plans, who knows, maybe LaVar will strike his magic once again to put the younger Ball in a Suns uniform.
