Suns wrong to let massively frustrating player walk for nothing this summer

The Phoenix Suns have made a number of roster changes this offseason, and they might not be done yet. They are still rumored to be pushing hard to try and trade for Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors, even if he would seemingly prefer to go to another team in the Western Conference.

Even if the Suns are finished filling out their roster ahead of next season, there has been a clear change in direction. Which is why you can expect a lot of losing next season, as the team got a lot younger and will have to figure out how to get the best out of three rookies and a pair of returning players in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.

This roster would have been perfect for enigmatic Bol Bol.

One player who will seemingly not be back in 2025-26 is Bol Bol. The mysterious guy with guard skills trapped in an elongated body apparently of no use to the Suns and their first time head coach Jordan Ott. Given he spent the two full seasons Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal were in town not getting much of a chance, that feels like a mistake. A rebuilding roster is where he thrives.

We saw this before with the Orlando Magic, when Bol was given a chance to impress there he played so well that it's probably what convinced the Suns to later take a chance on him. It didn't lead to any sort of winning, but that's not going to happen in Phoenix next year anyway. If ever there was a time to see if he could be anything in this league, it was on this roster as it figures out what it is.

Playing with Devin Booker would have helped, as well as players like Dunn, Ighodaro and Dillon Brooks who actually want to defend. Durant certainly seemed to take Bol under his wing when they were teammates, but that wasn't the best situation for Bol either. He was never going to get shots alongside his Hall of Fame mentor, and the Suns as a whole didn't defend, well... ever.

Bol became the scapegoat for that, what did you think they were going to bench Durant instead? But now that there are actual defenders in The Valley - and with the organization seemingly changing the culture and play style of the roster this summer - it seems a shame that Bol's unique offensive skills won't get a chance to shine there.

Fans will need something to cheer for through all the losing, and Bol could have provided that as well. On a more practical level, he's South Sudanese just like rookie Khaman Maluach. Who better than a fellow compatriot for an 18-year-old kid to learn from. Bol knows what it is like to move around the league too, and could have been the Durant to Maluach's Bol in the process.

We'll never get to see that now, although there could be hope yet. Bol remains unsigned and there hasn't even been talk of him heading to Europe to try and reignite his career. There's no space in Phoenix for him right now, but that doesn't mean there won't always be. The Suns stuck with Bol longer than anybody ever had - yet when the time arrived to use him - they instead let him walk.