Lonzo Ball believes the Cleveland Cavaliers hurt their championship chances when they moved on from him and Darius Garland, arguing that the team would have achieved greater playoff success had the backcourt remained intact.

Reflecting on the organization’s decision, Ball questioned whether the move aligned with a win-now approach and suggested the previous group was capable of making a deeper postseason run.

“If you were trying to win a championship, I don’t think that’s the path you should’ve taken,” the player said.

The veteran guard went on to express confidence in what the team could have accomplished together.

“If you ask me, I think we would’ve gone further.”