NBA Trade Rumors: Will the Philadelphia 76ers Be Able to Deal Jahlil Okafor This Season?
Okafor's name has remained a fixture in the NBA's rumor mill
The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to take a step forward this season with young players Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons expected to lead the way. Expectations are not quite as high for incoming third-year player Jahlil Okafor, and there may be a reason for that, as he may not last that much longer with the team.
It is telling that even members of the Sixers organization are not shying away from the notion that Okafor may be traded.
Over on Twitter, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey passed along some comments shared by coach Brett Brown who mentioned that the Sixers will check with other teams in the league to see what they may be able to get back in a trade for Okafor.
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Teams are typically not that open when it comes to trade rumors, but it was not exactly a surprise to hear that the Sixers may be looking to move on from Okafor.
It was not always like this. There was even a point in time when the Sixers seemed to consider him a cornerstone of sorts.
After all, they did take Okafor with the third overall pick in the 2015 draft, which in retrospect looked like a poor decision, especially with players like Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns – taken with the 11th and 13th picks respectively – having outperformed him thus far.
It was not just unfulfilled expectations that may be compelling the Sixers to test the trade waters for Okafor.
Heading into the 2017-18 season, the Sixers are expected to give plenty of minutes to Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Robert Covington and even Richaun Holmes. That means five players are vying for minutes in the Sixers' frontcourt rotation, and arguably all of them have brighter futures with the team than Okafor.
Of course, even if the Sixers are already gauging the trade market for Okafor, that does not mean that a deal will be struck.
With just about every team in the league now assigning more value to big men who can either stretch defenses to the three-point line or protect the rim – two things Okafor is not known for – there may simply be not a lot of interest in the former Duke University standout.
The Sixers would probably pounce on any reasonable offer they can get for Okafor, but they are far from guaranteed to get one at this point.
There is always the possibility that Okafor develops and turns into a better player, and even if no deal is struck this season, there is still time for things to change. And hopefully for Okafor, there are better days ahead for his NBA career.
More news about the latest NBA trade rumors should be made available soon.
