HoopsHabit’s Cal Durrett concocted a mock trade that’d see the Boston Celtics land seven-foot-three big man Bol Bol for a minimal price: Dalano Banton’s recently guaranteed contract and a future second-round pick; with the purpose of filling a roster need for the Cs, and a future roster need for the Phoenix Suns.

“…judging by the players that they have been targeting, (the Celtics) are looking for both size and shooting ability,” Durrett preface before saying, “He does have size and has flashed shooting potential and Boston likely knows that they can’t count on an aging Al Horford as well as Kristaps Porzingis to stay healthy over the final 40 games of the season, plus potentially a 25-game playoff run.

“Ultimately, the Suns have made good use of second-round picks to build out their roster and if offered one for Bol, they may consider a deal with the Celtics. As for Boston, they don’t have many holes and certainly aren’t in a position of weakness, but Bol could be a cheap option to address a team need.”

Adding a player like Bol doesn’t qualify as a win-now move, since, well, his departure from the Denver Nuggets just coincided with their championship run in 2023 after they couldn’t get over the hump the three years prior with him on the roster. Bad timing or simply addition by subtraction, it’s hard to ignore that fact.

In fact, the Orlando Magic are now in a position to make the postseason this year for the first time since the 2019-20 season with their current core. That’s two teams that are thriving immediately after losing Bol.

This isn’t an accusation toward Bol for not being a winning player. But it’s year five for him and he’s not able to find the floor on an injury-riddled team that has struggled much of the year.

With Boston’s margins for Banner 18 so thin, this is a risk that can go seriously awry if it doesn’t pay off. The Houdini passes.