"We don’t want this Kobe hating injury prone bust back" - Lakers fans erupt over Lonzo Ball linked to LA amid trade buzz

Point guard Lonzo Ball's name has popped up in trade rumors after it was reported that the Chicago Bulls are willing to trade their core. Coincidentally, the LA Lakers are reportedly looking to add a point guard to beef up their roster, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Due to these two reports, the oddsmakers at Bovada have ranked LA as Ball's next team. According to the odds, the Lakers are a +550 to acquire the point guard.

These odds have caused a stir among fans, with a few stating their disapproval at the idea of Lonzo Ball returning to the LA Lakers.

"We don't want this Kobe hating injury prone bust back," one person said.

"Lonzo back to the Lakers??? They are THAT desperate huh???" One fan asked.

"Don’t send him back to hell dawg please no," one person said.

Meanwhile, other fans seem more open to the idea of Ball coming to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

"If Rob brings him back I’ll never slander him again," one person said.

"Please make this happen lakers," one fan tweeted.

"Lonzo Ball back to the lakers im throwing sum on the grill," another person said.

Per Bovada, the other teams that are favored to land Lonzo Ball are the Orlando Magic (+700), Phoenix Suns (+800), Brooklyn Nets (+1000) and Miami Heat (+1200).

The Charlotte Hornets, where his brother LaMelo plays, fall just out of the top five with +1400 odds.

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The LA Lakers are reportedly interested in top pick from Lonzo Ball's draft class

When Lonzo Ball entered the NBA through the 2017 draft, the LA Lakers selected him second overall. The player who went first was Markelle Fultz, another point guard selected by the Philadelphia 76ers.

While these two players seemingly battled for the top spot in their class, they could be in another positional battle to determine who would become a Laker. Per NBA Insider Anthony Irwin, the LA front office has discussed Fultz.

Fultz played for the Orlando Magic in the 2024 playoffs. In the opening round of the postseason, he played in all seven games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Orlando were eliminated after a 3-4 series loss.

He entered free agency in the summer and has yet to join a team.

Fultz was limited to 14 games during his rookie year due to a shoulder injury. He averaged only 7.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, Ball played 50 games for the LA Lakers, averaging 10.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 7.2 apg.

Neither player lasted long with the team that drafted them; they were traded after their second seasons. The Philadelphia 76ers traded Fultz to the Orlando Magic for Jonathon Simmons and a 2020 top-20 protected first-round pick.

Meanwhile, Ball was included in the package sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis.