One late free agent signing the Hornets should consider making

Given Charlotte’s less-than-ideal depth in the frontcourt, bringing in another big man makes sense. What’s more, acquiring a player who can play both the four and the five would allow for optimal flexibility, in the event that either or both of Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner are earning big minutes at center in 2025-26 (we already know what to expect from Mason Plumlee, who may ultimately be traded).

Enter Bol Bol, a seven-foot-three stretch big who can play both center and power forward in the NBA. Still just 25 years old (and currently an unsigned free agent), Bol has shown plenty of flashes of brilliance thus far in his relatively young career (six seasons, 202 games).

Bol’s best year was in 2022-23 for the Orlando Magic, when he appeared in 70 games for Orlando (33 starts!) and averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

At his best, Bol is a scary physical specimen on both ends of the court with a highly underrated skill set. He’s never been a consistent-enough marksman from three to be called an elite shooter, but he’s had some seasons where he’s shown the potential to be just that — 42.3 percent from three in 2023-24 (43 games) and 37.5 percent from three in 2020-21 (32 games).

Bol’s age and untapped potential make him a good fit for a Hornets team that isn’t under any pressure to win immediately. By throwing Bol out there with Charlotte’s young core, head coach Charles Lee might strike gold with Bol.

Bol's time with the Nuggets was important

It’s also worth noting that Bol began his career with the Denver Nuggets, who traded for Bol on draft night in 2022. There are two important takeaways from that. First off, a contending, championship-caliber team like Denver liked Bol enough to acquire him in the middle of their window. And two, Bol spent three seasons with a championship franchise (and alongside Nikola Jokić), meaning that he likely picked up a lot of valuable knowledge early in his career. 

That knowledge and experience with Denver clearly benefitted Bol when he landed with the Magic, as his numbers from his lone season with Orlando indicate.

It’s difficult to judge Bol’s time over the last two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, who have been a mess of a franchise for a few years. It is worth pointing out, though, that Bol registered a 25-point, 14-rebound game with the Suns in 2024.

Why hasn’t Bol stuck anywhere? It’s hard to say, but in the case of Denver or Orlando, it may have come down to contending franchises simply not having the patience — or more likely, the appropriate timeline — to develop Bol.

You can’t always give up on a player just because he hasn’t exploded in the first phase of his career. There are countless examples of NBA players who simply landed on the wrong teams (otherwise, their careers would have been wildly more successful).

If you’re the Hornets, Bol is well worth taking a chance on, especially as he wouldn't be an expensive addition.

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