Phoenix Suns officially sign C/F Bol Bol
Jul 19, 2023, 4:49 PM | Updated: 4:50 pm
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: Bol Bol #10 of the Orlando Magic passes the ball in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 07, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns officially signed former Orlando Magic forward Bol Bol to a one-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday.
“Bol brings unique skills and abilities to our forward and center positions, which further enhances our depth and versatility,” Suns general manager and president of basketball operations James Jones said in a press release. “His continued growth and development will help make us a more complete team.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news on Sunday.
Orlando acquired Bol in a February 2022 trade and inked him to a two-year, $4.4 million deal with a non-guaranteed 2023-24 season before opting to waive him from a squad that includes a handful of its former first-round draft picks who are forwards: Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke.
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With Phoenix, he joins a frontcourt that includes Deandre Ayton and free-agent signings Drew Eubanks and Chimeze Metu. Bol will likely vie for minutes as backup center.
The Suns roster also includes forwards Kevin Durant, Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe, Ish Wainright and rookie Toumani Camara.
Bol, 23, played his first two-plus season with the Denver Nuggets and was traded to the Detroit Pistons in January 2022, but a failed physical exam resulting in foot surgery voided the trade.
A month later, he was dealt to the Boston Celtics. Before playing a game, though, he was traded again, to the Magic.
He found more success in Orlando compared to the first three NBA seasons with the Nuggets. Bol appeared in 70 games with 33 starts for the Magic last season, averaging 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Bol shot 55% overall and 27% from three.
The 7-foot-2, 220-pound Bol was considered a top-five draft pick when he began his college career with the Oregon Ducks, but a foot injury nine games into the 2018-19 season tanked his stock. He went 44th overall to the Miami Heat in the 2019 NBA Draft and was traded immediately to Denver.
The son of former NBA center Manute Bol, Bol Bol gained some traction last season as a ball-handling big, though his shooting splits have left much to be desired as he’s been below-average everywhere but in the paint and at dead-center shooting beyond the three-point line.
