Former Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol recently became one of the most talked-about players in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets were initially expected to trade Bol to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Rodney McGruder and a future second-round pick. However, the Pistons decided to void the trade after the 22-year-old Sudanese big man failed their physical test.
Luckily, though he recently underwent a surgery to repair his foot injury, the Nuggets still managed to find Bol a new home before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
Bol Bol To Boston Celtics
A few days ago, the Nuggets have agreed to a three-team trade that sent Bol to Beantown. In the reported trade by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Twitter, the Celtics acquired Bol and PJ Dozier, the Nuggets got Bryn Forbes, and the San Antonio Spurs obtained Juancho Hernangomez.
Though Bol and Dozier aren’t expected to see on-court time this season, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens believes that the three-team trade was a "really good deal" for Boston.
“There’s a lot of factors in that one that made that deal,” Stevens said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports. “What we thought was a really good deal for us. And really I thought a deal that made sense for all three teams.”
Celtics To Evaluate If Bol Bol Could Be Part Of Long-Term Future
Unlike the voided trade with the Pistons, the Celtics are well aware of Bol’s health status. Though there’s a strong chance that they won’t see him play this season, Stevens said that it still gives them time to evaluate Bol’s future in Boston.
“He’s going to be out for 10-12 weeks, which would put us right towards the end of the season," Stevens said. "But we are able to evaluate him here, work with him here, spend time with him here, hopefully see him at the end of the season and/or work with him after the season before he hits restricted free agency. That’s a big part of it."
Bol Bol's On-Court Impact For Celtics
Bol may have spent his first three years in the league being buried in the bench, but he would still be an intriguing addition to the Celtics. If he could regain his 100 percent health, Bol could boost the Celtics’ frontcourt and provide an impact on the offensive end of the floor. When given enough playing time, Bol could be a dominant force under the basket.
What makes him a more interesting addition to the Celtics is his ability to space the floor. Sharing the court with a center who can knock down shots from beyond the arc would make it easier for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to penetrate the basket or kick the ball out when they are trapped by the opposing team’s defense.
Brad Stevens Not Done In Making Moves
As of now, the Celtics don’t seem to be done in making moves before the 2022 NBA trade deadline. After acquiring Bol and Dozier in a three-team trade with the Nuggets and the Spurs, Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com revealed that the Celtics have been "extremely active" on the trade market with the hope of reconfiguring the pieces around Tatum and Brown.
Aside from acquiring quality players, Stevens and the Celtics’ front office are reportedly looking to unload some salary cap burden to give more playing time to young players such as Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith, and Romeo Langford.
]]>The Inquisitr
