Philadelphia 76ers Trade Jahlil Okafor to the Brooklyn Nets for Veteran Forward Trevor Booker
After months of languishing on the bench, Jahlil Okafor will finally get the fresh start he sorely needs to revitalize his career.
On Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers shipped Okafor, fourth-year guard Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forward Trevor Booker.
"We've been following him for a long time, like everybody has. Maybe a change of scenery. We're looking forward to getting him in our environment, around our coaches, around our development coaches. I can say the same thing about Nik," Nets general manager Sean Marks on Thursday, via NBA.com.
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By acquiring Okafor, the Nets now have two of the top three picks in the 2015 draft. Guard D'Angelo Russell was the second overall pick that year and Okafor was selected a pick after him.
Okafor didn't play much this season, but he did average 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds during his rookie year with the Sixers.
He will get to chance to earn a lot of playing time with the Nets since they are a little thin in the frontcourt, but he will have to work on his defense.
"We need those guys to be two-way players," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Okafor and Stauskas, according to NBA.com.
"That's going to be the challenge for them. We're going to demand it, as we do of everybody that comes in our program. Again, two talented guys. It's our job to get them to fit into our system. That's the coach's job," he continued.
The trade is generally seen as a win-win move for both organizations. The Sixers managed to get a solid veteran player in return and they didn't have to buy out Okafor's contract. The Nets, on the other hand, are getting two young players who still have a lot of room to improve in Okafor and Stauskas, and they will also have an extra future second-round pick.
