Recently, a trade was put into place to send center Bol Bol of the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Rodney McGruder and a second-round pick. Unfortunately, the trade was voided, and Bol will remain in Denver for the foreseeable future. This is an unfortunate turn of events for Bol, in more ways than one.
The reason Bol wasn’t sent to the Pistons was because he failed the physical that the Pistons gave him. Details on the physical haven’t been released yet, but the real question is: why did he fail the physical? Doing it on purpose is out of the question, because Bol made it clear he would like to be traded away from the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. The question remains: what made Bol fail his physical?
One fan on Twitter wondered if he failed his physical because he was “too skinny,” which is amusing, but likely untrue. The only major injury Bol has had so far in his young career is when he broke his foot in college at the University of Oregon. It hasn’t been a problem for him in the NBA so far, so assuming it wasn’t the foot, there must have been a different red flag that the Pistons saw. Hopefully information about the physical will be released soon.
It’s a shame that Bol was sent back to the Nuggets, because he would have been such a great fit with Detroit. The Pistons best young big man at this moment is Isaiah Stewart. Kelly Olynk is there as a veteran presence, but he’s more of a power forward then a center. Bol would likely have been a building block for the Pistons, their center for the next 10 years. With 6’6″ Cade Cunningham and 6’5″ Killian Hayes, the Pistons would have had great height, and since Bol is 7’2″, he could easily match up with just about any center in the entire NBA. Bol can shoot and space the floor too, as in his first two seasons in the league, Bol averaged 39.4% from three-point range. 5-7 years down the line, the Pistons might be contending for a championship, and if they had Bol, I could see them actually winning a title.
As we all know, Cam Reddish was just traded to the New York Knicks, which I believe was a wonderful move for New York. However, it may have been more then just a solid acquisition for this year. I’ve seen many fans across the internet speculate this, but could trading for Reddish be a move to lure bigger stars to the New York market? In this case, I’m talking about one star in particular: Zion Williamson.
Williamson headed to New York might be the best storyline in the NBA if it were to happen. Williamson has already been on record saying that he loves playing in Madison Square Garden. Plus, if the Knicks were to trade for him or signed him in free agency, he would be reunited with Reddish and RJ Barrett, his college teammates at Duke. The Duke brotherhood has an extensive network, and if those three guys were able to play together, I think they could wreak havoc on the league. Take a look at this quote:
“New York is the mecca of basketball. I love playing here. I played here in college, and this is my first time playing here in the pros; this atmosphere, whether they’re cheering for you, whether they’re booing for you, it’s amazing. Honestly I think outside of New Orleans, obviously, I think this might be my favorite place to play. I can’t even lie to you.”
Zion Williamson in a Postgame press conference on April 18th, 2021
Players like Julius Randle have expressed frustration at getting booed by their home crowd, but as you can see from this quote by Williamson, he just cares about playing there and being in the atmosphere, not whether he’s being cheered or booed. New York is a place where he could grow his brand, and in addition, he’d get away from all that food in New Orleans that keeps him weighing at over 300 pounds.
There’s no proof yet, but the stage is set for Williamson to head to New York, with a defensive- minded Head Coach and old friends waiting for him. Do you think Williamson will end up on the Knicks? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, don’t forget to follow the NBA Blog, and as always, have an awesome day!
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I don’t know if we will ever know the real reason why the Bol trade was voided. Obviously, the Pistons found something of concern. The last thing they need is a player who is a liability because of a pre-existing condition.
As far as Zion being traded to New York, I think the stage is set for this to happen. You mentioned that Zion once stated that he loved playing in New York and I am sure he would love to be reunited with Barrett and Reddish. Having said that, do you think Zion could pass a physical with the Knicks? He is over weigh and probably out of playing shape. Unless he can manage his weight and prove he can stay in shape, why would New York want him. Yes, the Knicks will sell more tickets with the dynamic DUKE trio on the team, but ultimately, they also need to win games. They don’t need an overweight and out of shape Zion sitting on the bench. Thoughts??
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I think Zion could pass a physical with the Knicks. While he is having some serious weight struggles, I think that if the opportunity came to play for the New York Knicks and he had to pass a physical to do so, he would find a way to pass. This does not mean I think Williamson is staying out of shape on purpose, but I think going to New York would be a great motivational factor.
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You raise a good point which is often overlooked and that is the motivational factor. Different things motivate different people, money, playing time, feeling wanted, needed, and respected, etc. I think in Zion’s case he is certainly wanted and needed in New Orleans, and he is making a lot of money, so what could possibly motivate him to want to play in New York. Being reunited with his former teammates from DUKE, possibly or the prestige of playing in Madison Square Gardens, sure. But I think he wants to be on a team that could win a championship. The Knicks have many of the pieces in place, but the real question in my mind is why would the Knicks want him? Aside from the fan’s wanting Zion, what else could he bring to the table. One and done at DUKE, major knee surgery causing him to miss almost his entire first season and now off-season ankle surgery and missing in action since the start of this season. I personally would love to see Zion in New York and reunited with his former teammates, but I also want to see the Knicks win a championship. Mixed emotions here so in the meantime I say go NETS.
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Despite Zion’s injury history and current state, I don’t know if there’s a single team that doesn’t want him. At his best, he’s an NBA All-Star and one of the most dominant big men in the league. New Orleans hasn’t managed Williamson as well as they could have, so if another team puts him on a stricter regime, chances are they’ll see greater results. With the right pieces (and shooters) around him, there’s no reason Williamson couldn’t be the cornerstone of a franchise like New York, leading them to one if not many championships.
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