Jahlil Okafor and his Philadelphia 76ers team are in quite the awkward stage right now after rampant trade rumors have begun to die down. The Sixers have a plethora of fruitful talent in their frontcourt consisting of Okafor, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Ersan Ilyasova, and Dario Saric. With so many big bodies and the return of #1 overall pick Ben Simmons from injury sitting on the horizon, the logjam in the lane is obvious to see. That being said, the Sixers have known this for quite some time now and have been looking to unload one of their bigs.
At first, when the trade rumors began swirling, it looked like Noel would be the big man sent packing as his injury issues raised major concerns. However, as the season has progressed and especially more recently, we’ve seen Jahlil Okafor’s name be brought up more in discussions linked to big man needy squads such as the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans. In fact, a trade seemed so imminent that Okafor didn’t even travel with the team during this most recent stretch before finally rejoining the organization ahead of their matchup against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Trying to sort through all the rumors pertaining to the Okafor trade saga has been tiresome as it seems every day there have been new reports surfacing regarding the Duke product’s status. Now, it appears as if Bryan Colangelo and the Sixers organization may have been using Okafor’s ‘absence’ to just up his trade value. Following from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor:
A Jahlil Okafor trade appeared imminent this weekend: The Sixers left Okafor in Philadelphia when they traveled to Charlotte, and head coach Brett Brown admitted they did it because the former Duke star was involved in trade conversations. HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy reported those talks were with the Pelicans, Bulls, Blazers, and Nuggets. “Jahlil Okafor’s situation is transparent,” Brown said Monday. “He’s in the middle of being discussed in trade scenarios.”
Except it’s not so transparent. It’s not even trade scenarios. It’s a trade scenario that involves the Pelicans. Nothing has really changed since nine days ago, when The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Pelicans were “engaged on several fronts to land a center,” including Okafor. Woj reported the Pelicans want to include a large salary (likely Alexis Ajinca), but the Sixers don’t want to take that on, which a source confirmed to me. Those negotiations are stuck in gridlock. The shelving of Okafor was likely meant to flush out the best offers around the league, sources speculate. It’s not uncommon for teams to use leaks to stir interest. The Nuggets and Blazers weren’t pursuing Okafor. The Bulls likely aren’t either. No one is buying what Bryan Colangelo is selling: a one-dimensional center who can’t defend, rebound, or pass on a roster loaded with big men.
While a split between the 76ers and Okafor would be beneficial for both sides at this point and looked inevitable, it seems the offensive minded big may end up staying in Philly, for now at least. The tactic deployed by Colangelo and company was surely an interesting one and it’s surprising that there aren’t more suitors for Okafor’s services. While his lack of defense and rebounding struggles have been well-documented, Okafor could still provide a team with offensive punch from the center position and his young age provides for a high ceiling.
With Joel Embiid sidelined due to a torn meniscus and Okafor not garnering as much interest as expected, it seems as if the crowded Philly frontcourt will remain intact though they are still a team to monitor as the trade deadline approaches.
