The Denver Nuggets entered the 2019 NBA Draft without a pick in either round, but as the Miami Heat selected Bol Bol—the 7’2” center out of Oregon—with the 44th pick, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he would be shipped to Denver.
Shortly after Woj’s tweet, Justin Woo of Sports Illustrated reported that Denver will send a future second-rounder and cash to Miami in exchange for the rights to Bol.
Bol was viewed as a pre-season top-five pick, but a foot injury limited him to just 9 games at Oregon, which appears to have scared teams away from the skilled big man.
In those 9 games, Bol Bol played just under 30 minutes a night, recording 21 points, 9.6 total rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per contest. He shot 56% from the field, and 52% from three on 2.8 attempts per game.
Denver’s President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, has been vocal in the past about his desire to draft “long-term projects” in the second round. Bol Bol holds his weaknesses but the upside is there in abundance, and the Nuggets won’t feel any early pressure to get him on the court. He also joins Michael Porter Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt as talented players with major injury concerns who slid from their preseason projections, but ultimately found their home here in Denver.
