Warriors nearly signed Lonzo Ball—then something changed

Lonzo Ball, Cleveland Cavaliers | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesThe Golden State Warriors have been linked to the Ball family for years, from the three brothers emulating Stephen Curry's free style and infinite range as high school players, to Golden State choosing James Wiseman over LaMelo Ball with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Over the past few weeks they forged another connection as they seriously considered signing the eldest brother, Lonzo Ball, off of the buyout market. NBA Insider Marc Stein recently revealed that the Warriors did in fact get close to signing Ball. The reason they did not? His knees.

Lonzo Ball's tortured path

Ball has had an up-and-down career since the Los…