The Sixers are reportedly trying to get their 2017 second round pick (#36 overall) Jonah Bolden cleared to play in the Vegas Summer League.

The Letter of Clearance is needed due to Bolden’s contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv. This does not mean that Bolden will be on the Sixers’ opening day roster. Since he’s under contract with a foreign club, the Sixers would need to pay a $400,000 buyout in order to place him on the 15-man regular season roster.

Bolden is an interesting prospect to be sure. The Ringer did a 2017 draft class re-draft immediately after last year’s Summer League was complete and writer Jonathan Tjarks ranked Bolden #13:

Bigs who can switch screens, shoot 3s, block shots, and make plays with the ball should not have fallen to the second round… if Bolden can play the 5, he opens up a lot of interesting lineup possibilities.

Bolden’s Per 36 numbers were rather impressive in his inaugural season in Israel:

His numbers were good enough for:

  • 4th in defensive rebounds
  • 7th in steals
  • 8th in blocks
  • 10th in games started
  • 12th in total rebounds
  • 13th in 2Pt%

I’ll be excited to see Bolden play in Vegas, where his length, athleticism, and range will be on full display. There is a school of thought that the Sixers could also be looking to feature Bolden as a way to raise his value in a potential trade for a star like Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum, or Kawhi Leonard. Personally, I’d like to see the Sixers hang onto him and let him take the Ersan Ilyasova minutes from a year ago. If Bolden is bought out by the Sixers, it could spell trouble for Richaun Holmes, whose $1.6 million salary is non-guaranteed.