BJ Boston inks record-setting deal with Los Angeles Clippers
BJ Boston, the No. 51 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft last month, signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to the Athletic’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a third-year team option and guarantees Boston $2.5 million.
The guarantee is the most in history for a draft pick in the 50s that wasn’t an overseas draft-and-stash. Boston spent last season at Kentucky, where he averaged 11.5 points per game as a freshman. The New Orleans Pelicans selected him originally before trading him to the Clippers for cash considerations.
Boston’s lone season with the Wildcats also happened to be one of the worst in the program’s storied history. Kentucky began the year at No. 10 in the AP poll, but finished 9-16 and unranked. They did seem to gain a bit of momentum to end the season, as they won four of their final six regular season games.
BJ Boston was tied for the team lead in scoring with senior Davion Mintz. His teammate, Isaiah Jackson, was selected No. 22 overall and traded to the Indiana Pacers. Boston was the only other Wildcat taken.
The 6-foot-7 forward has been on the NBA’s radar for some time. He was the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. To see him fall to the late second round is surprising, and certainly Kentucky’s struggles last season had something to do with it. He was a projected lottery pick out of high school.
The Clippers potentially acquired a draft steal with this pick. Boston’s rebounding and scoring ability is evident, and he is only 19. As he gets older and perhaps adds some more weight he could be a a dangerous NBA player.
He joins a team that lost in the Western Conference Finals last season. Star forward Kawhi Leonard suffered an ACL injury earlier in the playoffs and missed the entire series. He will continue to be out at least some of next season, if not all of it.
With that being the case, we could see Boston play a bit more right away than we would have otherwise. Paul George will have a large burden to shoulder alone on offense, but Reggie Jackson returns to help on a two-year contract. A third option is needed. Terance Mann had some great playoff performances, including a 39-point outing in the series-clinching Game 6 of the conference semifinals against Utah.
Still, Mann is more of a shooting guard and the Clippers need to replace a forward. Nicolas Batum or Marcus Morris will likely start, but could we see Boston as the first forward off the bench?
Photo courtesy of Andy Lyons/Getty Images.