The New Orleans Pelicans now have 3 options with Lonzo Ball

New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball could walk for nothing

The third and least appealing option is that Lonzo Ball simply walks in free agency and the Pelicans get nothing.

He would have to leave some amount of money on the table for this to happen, as the Pels can always match or exceed any offer for him, but Lonzo is already rich, has plenty of off-the-court money coming in and could just take less to go to the team he really wants to play for.

There is also a chance that Lonzo doesn’t care about the extra year, as signing a shorter contract makes some sense given his age. If Lonzo were to sign a three or four year deal, he could hit free agency again in his prime and probably get a massive payday, especially if he keeps improving.

Lonzo may prefer to hit free agency at 26 rather than at age 28, so the Pels might not have a ton of leverage when it comes to holding his Bird Rights.

Of course, Lonzo seems happy in New Orleans and if he sees this as a sign of confidence from the organization, then he may be satisfied taking a big contract and being part of the future with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

But if he is unhappy in this role, he could just take a 3-year deal from the Knicks or Bulls for more annual salary and hit free agency again while he is still young and in his prime.

Fans would lose their minds and call for David Griffin’s head if this happens, but in reality, the Pelicans would still pick up an $11 million cap slot, which may be more valuable to them than Lonzo.

If he walks, it won’t be for “nothing” but that’s how fans would see it.

The New Orleans Pelicans took a calculated risk by not re-signing or trading Lonzo Ball and could end up losing him and the faith of the fans in the process.