Will The Philadelphia 76ers Move Jahlil Okafor This Offseason?
Okafor was mentioned as a potential trade candidate throughout much of the 2016-17 NBA regular season
Once regarded as a premiere basketball talent and someone who can anchor a franchise, Jahlil Okafor has not exactly set the world on fire since being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and that may lead to a move soon being made.
It already seemed as though a move was imminent for much of the 2016-17 season, with numerous rumors hinting that Okafor could be on his way out of Philadelphia to help clear up the team's frontcourt logjam.
The Sixers already have a potential franchise cornerstone in Joel Embiid and other talented players who can take up minutes in the frontcourt, including Rookie of the Year candidate Dario Saric and backup big man Richaun Holmes.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
It is likely that the minutes simply aren't available for Okafor in Philadelphia, making it easy to understand why rumors are again indicating that the former lottery pick may be traded.
A recent report from Philly.com features a quote from Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo talking about Okafor and it reads, "If a deal comes along that makes sense for both of us, then we will go ahead and make the deal."
The report then goes on to mention some of the teams that the Sixers have talked to for a potential Okafor deal, and the ones included are the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The question now though is whether those teams are still interested in dealing for the former Duke standout.
Notably, the Bulls are already not a great shooting team and adding someone like Okafor who will take up space inside may bog down their offense even further. The Nuggets already dealt their own talented big man in Jusuf Nurkic to clear the path even more for their emerging young center Nikola Jokic, while the Trail Blazers were the ones who received the aforementioned Nurkic.
As for the Pelicans, they already executed their own deal as they acquired DeMarcus Cousins from the Sacramento Kings back at the trade deadline.
At this time, it just seems as though the only way the Sixers will be able to deal Okafor is if they are open to getting back significantly less than what a former top draft pick would normally get on the trade market.
It is far from an ideal scenario, but it may be one the Philadelphia 76ers will have to live with if they really are determined to move Okafor during this upcoming NBA offseason.
