Denver Nuggets Draft Day Trade Grades: Great Denver, Good for Bol, OK for Heat

We look at the Bol Bol draft day trade from all angles. Did the move make sense for the Denver Nuggets? For the Miami Heat? Is landing in Denver good for Bol?

The Denver Nuggets pulled off the most exciting move of the 2019 NBA Draft. They traded with the Miami Heat to get the No. 44 overall pick in the draft, Oregon center Bol Bol. While the transaction got a massive reaction out of NBA Twitter, the deal seemed fairly reasonable on paper. There is a lot of question marks when it comes to Bol, but with time and patience, he certainly could be someone we look back on as the steal of this draft.

Here are the grades for the Nuggets and Heat. We have an additional grade that will be grading Bol Bol and his situation, in terms of how well landing in Denver (as opposed to with another franchise) is for him personally.

Miami Heat: B+

We’ll keep this short, preferring to leave the deep Miami Heat analysis to the people over at All U Can Heat. While giving away a prodigious talent like Bol Bol for a future second-round pick and cash considerations may seem careless on paper, one must take Miami’s current situation into account.

The Heat are a team operating with no cap space, so it easy to understand why signing another rookie—even to a small contract—isn’t ideal for the Heat. On top of that, they have breakout young center Bam Adebayo and veteran Hassan Whiteside, who just opted in for another season in Miami.

So in a league in which pace-and-space is taking over, having three centers is not the best idea for a non-contending team entering the luxury for the second season in a row.

So Pat Riley and co. wanted to dump the No. 44 pick for some cash and got a future  Even if that center happens to be one with a tremendous amount of upside. That being said, I had to bump Miami’s grade down from an A because Bol Bol still has some star potential and Whiteside is set to come off the books in 2020.

Denver Nuggets: A+

President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly nailed this one. A future second-round pick is an asset that is worth something, but significantly less for a franchise primed for longterm success like Denver. And as far as the cash considerations, they are there to be used as a sweetener in a deal like this.

Bol Bol stands 7-foot-2, 222 lbs—with many reports stating he weighs less than that now—and even if he is 100 percent healthy, he may need a lot more seasoning before he is able to play more than 5-to-6 minutes stretches.

But again, not being able to use Bol in the present is not a concern for the Nuggets. With Michael Porter Jr. making his debut and Paul Millsap negotiations ongoing, Denver could have a ton of frontcourt depth next year.

That is why this deal was such a major win for Connelly. He landed a projected first-round talent—with his share of red flags for sure—without giving any major assets.

Bol’s incredible size and legitimate 3-point shooting make him an interesting change of pace center for Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone. Bol seems like a safe bet to space the floor on pick-and-pops, providing even more space in the driving lanes for the Nuggets’ guards. On defense, he provides a different look because to succeed he certainly will have to play in drop-back coverage on pick-and-rolls.

His incredible 9-foot-8 standing reach gives him the means to heavily contest midrange jumpers, layups, and 3-point shots, despite not having the best technique. This was a major steal for the Nuggets.

Fit for Bol Bol: A-

Bol Bol landing in Denver gets an A- because this is truly one of the better situations the polarizing prospect could be in. While he obviously wanted to get drafted in the lottery, Bol Bol will come into the league with something to prove and an excellent coaching staff that will help him reach those goals without jeopardizing his future.

The Nuggets don’t need a ton of center help next season with Plumlee coming back, but it is the last season on his deal. The reason the fit got an A- grade as opposed to an A or A+ was simple, assuming the Nuggets don’t trade Plumlee, there isn’t a path to major playing time for Bol on the 2019-20 Denver Nuggets. The retort to that would be that the Bol doesn’t need to be playing a ton of minutes next season, which is true.

All of that being said, there is no doubt that landing on a team like the Atlanta Hawks or Clippers could’ve provided a route to more playing time or even a starting role down the line. But landing in Denver is better for Bol’s long-term health, as the Nuggets will be able to bring him along slowly. If I was immediately sure that a Jokic-Bol frontcourt pairing dominates the league on both sides of the floor, then this grade would be an A+ for Bol.

But that doesn’t need to happen for this trade to be great. If Bol Bol at least—no matter who is playing next to him—shows a high effort level on defense and continues to knock down 3-pointers at a high clip, this trade will be one we talk about years down the line when the Nuggets are still competing for NBA Championships, with Bol as a significant part of their rotation.