Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has opted to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, the team revealed Thursday.
Ball is expected to travel to California in the coming days to have the arthroscopic procedure to repair a meniscus tear, a source told ESPN.
The Bulls and Ball’s agent — Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — had discussed options with doctors, but the procedure was deemed necessary after a recent change in nonsurgical treatment didn’t allow Ball to play through what’s described as a slight meniscus tear, sources said.
Ball has missed the past three matches with what the Bulls initially deemed was a bone bruise.
The team had already ruled him out for its upcoming three-game road trip because his knee was not recovering well from the initial treatment.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan on Wednesday night stated Ball had changed treatments on the knee, and that doctors were waiting to see how Ball responded to the new treatment.
Ball had a procedure for a meniscus tear on the same knee in July 2018 and returned for the start of training camp with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He is averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35 games in his first season in Chicago. With the East standings crowded behind Chicago — the Miami Heat are even in the standings but percentage points behind the Bulls, with the Brooklyn Nets a half-game back of both teams and three other contenders within 2.5 games — even a short-term absence for Ball could make a great difference in terms of seeding.
