It’s been a little while since ol’ LaVar Ball has made his presence known to the NBA media, as LeBron James’ presence in L.A. has kept the patriarch of the Ball family fairly quiet about Lonzo and the Lakers.
However, as Lonzo’s name has come up in trade talks involving Anthony Davis we’ve heard from “his camp” that New Orleans is not a preferred destination for the young point guard. Whether Lonzo has the juice to really sway a deal by inserting his desires and demands into the equation remains to be seen, but he wants it known that the Big Easy is not where he’d like to be.
On Monday, LaVar Ball went on record with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and confirmed that he doesn’t want Lonzo in New Orleans and instead prefers him to stay in the southwest in Phoenix.
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
The Suns do need a point guard desperately, so he’s not wrong in saying they’re a good fit — and honestly, Ball and Devin Booker could complement each other well. Also, I appreciate him not acting as though he wants Lonzo on a winner and simply wants to play where he wants to play — *cough* unlike Anthony Davis *cough*.
Lonzo, meanwhile, has taken all mentions of the Lakers out of his social media, for whatever that’s worth.
https://twitter.com/rashadalaiyan/status/1092541336559865856
It’ll be fascinating to see whether this works or not. If it does, we’ll have to see what Phoenix will include in a three-way deal to make it happen. If it doesn’t, expect to hear plenty from LaVar as Lonzo is shipped to New Orleans.
