Does Bol Bol Have A Legit Future With The Celtics?

Does Bol Bol Have A Legit Future With The Celtics?

It’s been an up and down start to the Brad Stevens GM era in Boston. Stevens recently made a minor three team trade with the Spurs and Nuggets. Juancho Hernangomez is out while Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier are in. Bol Bol is obviously the more exciting name in the trade. The real question is, does Bol actually have a legit future with the Celtics?

We know why the Celtics made the trade. Sadly, Bol Bol wasn’t the primary reason. Clearing Hernangomez’s salary ($6.9 million) helps reduce Boston’s luxury tax number. They can skip the tax entirely if Jaylen Brown doesn’t hit his incentive to become an All-Star (but that’s unlikely). Let’s just leave the math stuff to Bobby Marks so I don’t have to type another 100 words.

Cap mechanics on the Boston/Denver/San Antonio trade.

Only the 2nd time since 2014 that San Antonio has made a regular season trade.

A projected $11.5M tax distribution if Boston gets under the tax. pic.twitter.com/wVY7qYyXsj

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 19, 2022

Bol, 22, is out for the next three months so we might not even see him before the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. If we accept the fact that the Celtics made this trade because of math, it makes you wonder if Bol is part of the equation long term?

At 7-foot-2, Bol is viewed as a health risk just as any 7-footer would be. However, the former Oregon phenom was once viewed as a top tier draft prospect. Regardless, Boston will get a chance to see him in the facility every day to make that call. Maybe it’s not the reason why the Celtics made the trade, but it’s a really nice cherry on top.

Theoretically, Bol is exactly the kind of guy the Celtics desperately need. Al Horford has been washed up. Enes Kanter just can’t be trusted. Robert Williams is starting to take a step forward but he’s also only part of the equation. The best version of Bol can be someone that runs the floor, playmakes at a high level, able to stretch the floor with a respectable shot, and disrupts shots on the defensive end with his length.

Everything that Maverick fans hoped Krisptaps Porzingis would become has always been the pipe dream with Bol. Isn’t that worth a flier for a Celtics team that’s in shambles? Judging Bol’s past performance is unfair because we knew this wasn’t going to be a brief development period. The Celtics now control his bird rights and frankly, it wouldn’t make sense to not offer him a long term cheap team-friendly contract.

It’s fair to wonder if Payton Pritchard put a word in to the front office? Pritchard was a former teammate of Bol’s at Oregon. Most likely, I’m going to guess that didn’t happen. Bol Bol was viewed as a high end draft prospect for a reason.

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Hasn’t been finding a long term answer that’s better than Daniel Theis been the goal for what seems like forever? Bol Bol actually has that sort of potential. Rob Williams looks like a big hit. Bol could be too but I’m just not sure the Celtics see it that way. They have enough young players on the roster as it is which is why the Celtics basically gave away Desmond Bane for nothing. They didn’t have the roster spots to carry three first round picks from that 2020 NBA Draft.