The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pull the trigger on at least one trade before Thursday’s annual deadline, with second year forward Jahlil Okafor largely thought to be the man that’ll be on the move.
They’ve discussed deals centered on Okafor with several teams in recent weeks, even nearly reaching an agreement on one deal with New Orleans last week. Before Okafor, however, another Sixers big man was being shopped by the team earlier in the season: Nerlens Noel.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via HoopsHype), the Sixers may decide to re-engage in trade discussions centered on Noel if Jahlil Okafor cannot be traded before the deadline.
If they can’t get a deal for Okafor done before the deadline, I’m told they’ll start — there are still teams checking on Noel, re-engaging on him. What complicates it for Noel is that he’s a restricted free agent, and teams want to know, ‘what is it going to cost us to re-sign him?’. And it’s going to be a big number.”
The Sixers aggressively shopped Noel around the league earlier in the season and last summer, eager to find a new home for the 22-year-old Kentucky product.
In recent weeks, however, Philadelphia has focused its efforts on dealing Okafor, rather than Noel. Since 2017 began, Noel has looked comfortable playing alongside Dario Saric and Joel Embiid when healthy, causing the franchise to ultimately decide on keeping him for the short-term.
The Sixers are widely expected to find a trade partner for Okafor, with several rival executives believing that a deal will eventually get done. In the meantime, however, neither Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel are safe in Philadelphia.
