Youngmisuk: Ball camp could be trying to create leverage for Lonzo
Feb 4, 2019, 4:58 PM | Updated: 6:38 pm
Los Angeles Lakers' Lonzo Ball, left, grabs a pass next to New Orleans Pelicans' Tim Frazier during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Lonzo Ball trade rumors to the Phoenix Suns were taken to a new level on Monday following a tweet by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk quoting Lonzo’s boisterous father Lavar Ball.
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
Youngmisuk joined 98.7 FM’s Arizona’s Sports Station’s Burns & Gambo show saying that the Ball camp has had success with trying to dictate Lonzo’s future.
“At this point there’s not much control the Ball camp is going to have over where Lonzo goes,” Youngmisuk said. “At least them trying to state his preference of seeing Lonzo in Phoenix, perhaps they are trying to create any leverage that they have.”
While the Ball camp’s preference would be for the 2017 No. 2 overall draft pick to stay in Los Angeles, a potential deal to bring Anthony Davis to Hollywood would likely involve Lonzo as part of the package.
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Lavar Ball was very outspoken leading up to the 2017 NBA Draft in trying to persuade the Lakers into taking Ball with the No. 2 pick.
“‘Speaking it into existence,’ which was what he said in his quote. He did that a lot with Lonzo prior to the Lakers drafting Lonzo,” Youngmisuk said.
His feuds with talking heads like Stephen A. Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and even President Donald Trump have led to a reputation as a trouble maker of sorts.
“Lavar could create a stink when they get to New Orleans that would not be the Lakers problem, it would not be the Suns problem,” Youngmisuk said.
Youngmisuk pointed out that the Ball camp liked what the Suns had to offer with a primary scorer in Devin Booker and a young big man in Deandre Ayton and that Lonzo could slide is as the pass-first point guard the Suns have been looking for this season.
