Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls lose second round draft picks due to tampering

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Wednesday, the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat have each lost second round draft picks in 2022 for having premature discussions prior to the official start of free agency with free agents Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry. The Bulls signed Ball on August 8, 2021 to a four-year contract worth $85 million, and the Heat signed Lowry on August 6 to a three-year deal worth $90 million.

In the offseason free agent rankings, Lowry was ranked third and Ball was ranked ninth. Lowry had 17.2 points per game with the Toronto Raptors, and Ball had 14.6 points per game with the New Orleans Pelicans.

So far in 2020-21, Lowry, a point guard from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has played 20 games for the Heat and has averaged 12.3 points per game, 7.6 assists per game, and 4.8 rebounds per game. He has a field goal percentage of .417, a three-point percentage of .306, and a free throw percentage of .905. Lowry’s most notable game so far this season for the Heat came in a 118-115 Miami win over the Utah Jazz on November 6. Lowry had a triple double, as he had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Ball, a point guard from Anaheim, California, has played in 22 games for the Bulls and has averaged 12.5 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 4.8 assists per game. He has a field goal percentage of .436, a three-point percentage of .444, and a free throw percentage of .750.

Ball had a season-high 27 points in a 121-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on November 15. He also had a triple double (17 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds) against Ball’s old team the Pelicans in a 128-112 win on October 22.

The Heat are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference at 13 wins and nine losses. The Bulls are currently tied for second in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks at 14 wins and eight losses.

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