3. Bol Bol

A team in the Atlanta Hawks’ position — in which a roster is far from title contention but has little wiggle room to acquire more talent — needs to take chances in the offseason. That could mean taking a small reach or selecting the best player available instead of the better fit in the draft. It could also mean spending a veteran minimum contract on a player that may or may not see the floor that season.

Bol Bol could be the perfect low-risk, high-reward target for the Hawks this summer. Since getting drafted with the 44th-overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the former Oregon Duck has struggled to prove himself a capable rotation player in the league. His lack of mobility and effort on defense have made him a liability and outweighed his potential as a versatile scorer.

Bol’s received quite a wake-up call this past season, however, possibly giving him the exact type of jolt he needs to turn his career around.

After almost getting freed from the Denver Nuggets and his former Head Coach Michael Malone’s rotations, Bol failed his physical, and his trade to the Detroit Pistons was voided. He eventually underwent surgery to repair a foot injury before being moved to the Boston Celtics in a three-team deal who in turn flipped him to the Orlando Magic.

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The Magic will have a solidified center rotation if they re-sign free-agent big Mo Bamba. They could potentially be adding another viable defensive anchor with Chet Holmgren with the first pick in the upcoming draft. They likely won’t want to pay Bol Bol anything more than a minimum, and the Atlanta Hawks could offer him the larger role to try to pry him away from Central Florida.

If Bol can turn into an even passable defender, his guard skills and floor spacing paired with Trae Young’s prowess in the pick-and-roll will give opposing defenses nightmares.