The Philadelphia 76ers have been involved in the rumor mill more than most teams during this offseason, and with good reason.
Once upon a time, former Sixers’ GM Sam Hinkie was able to snag a future first round pick belonging to the lowly Lakers in a multi-team trade when they shipped off reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams at the height of his powers.
However, this is not the same situation, as the Sixers didn’t have three point guards ready to step on each others toes when they dealt MCW. The Colangelo family isn’t going to look good based off the return Philly gets for Okafor, but that’s what happens when dealing from a position with no leverage.
Even if Joel Embiid is brought along slowly playing 10-20 minutes per game, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor cannot simply share the remaining minutes at center. The value of both big men will erode as they sit on the bench for long stretches, and Noel-Okafor has proven to be a poor on-court pairing without any visible upside. Okafor and Embiid also makes very little sense as an on-court pairing, or at least much less than a Noel-Embiid bully-ball tandem at power forward and center. If the 76ers share the belief that Noel is better than Okafor, and they hope to put Embiid, Ben Simmons, and company in position to improve and succeed, they need to bite the bullet and send Okafor on his way for a modest return.
Here are three deals that could be considered reasonable if the Sixers opt to wipe their hands clean of the defensively dormant but offensively gifted former Blue Devil.
Boston—James Young, R.J. Hunter, Terry Rozier and 2018 first round pick for Okafor
Word on the street is that the Celtics aren’t willing to give up all that much for the Sixers’ offensive-minded center. In other words, any hopes that Philly could sneak away with one of Brooklyn’s picks from Boston’s cupboard need to be stomped out. Rozier, Hunter, and Young are all still young, and a 2018 first round selection is nothing to sneeze at. The Sixers could probably push for a couple second-round picks as well if they need a bit more.
The Celtics have loads of talented, versatile defenders—Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, etc. Theoretically, they can hide Okafor on defense quite a bit. Then again, Isaiah Thomas is one of the team’s best players, and the lucky lefty leprechaun isn’t going to protect or hide Okafor’s deficiencies. The duo wouldn’t be able to find a stop together in pick-and-roll coverage let alone that almighty pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Coach Brad Stevens is a creative character, but that dynamic would make it somewhat difficult to construct lineups. Okafor would almost assuredly come off the bench and sub in as soon as Thomas came out, and they probably wouldn’t share the floor much at all. The former Blue Devil would be able to focus on scoring off the bench, which might be the role best-suited for Oak anyways—think Enes Kanter for Oklahoma City.
New Orleans—Tyreke Evans and 2017 first round pick for Okafor
Based off Alvin Gentry’s recent conversation with Zach Lowe, it sounds like there’s a good chance Tyreke Evans misses the entire season. Evans would be an absolutely awful fit alongside Ben Simmons, but his contract is also up after this year. The Pelicans could push for a playoff spot in 2016-17, but it’s also possible they miss out or finish towards the bottom of the postseason picture. That could net the Sixers a solid lottery or late-teen pick in what could be a stacked draft class next summer, especially at guard.
New Orleans doesn’t have a ton to offer Philadelphia in terms of young talent. Further, it’s doubtful they’d be willing to deal rookie Buddy Hield, whose shooting will be heavily relied upon from day one. Anthony Davis is excellent against small-ball centers, but Gentry, Dell Demps, and A.D. are all on the same page: no thanks to bruising and banging in the paint for heavy minutes against behemoths like Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond, and DeAndre Jordan. A team that changed its mentality from offensive-minded to defensive-minded over the offseason, the Pelicans figure to have a chance at hiding Okafor with tip-top stoppers such as Davis, Jrue Holiday, and Solomon Hill.
Phoenix—Brandon Knight for Okafor
The Suns are in a similar predicament except with guards. Second-round steal Tyler Ulis doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, and that’s a problem. Plus sophomore Devin Booker should be seeing 30-plus minutes at shooting guard this season. Rumors that Eric Bledsoe wasn’t too fond of sharing point guard duties persisted last season, too. Knight isn’t a bad off-ball presence though, and almost anyone matching that description deserves a look on a team featuring Ben Simmons but still looking for help at guard. Knight is fairly young (turns 25 in December) and his annual salary through 2019-20 averages out to $14 million. He’s 6-3 with a near 6-7 wingspan, and he’s a career 36 percent three-point shooter.
If the 76ers could convince Phoenix to part ways with a top-10 protected first round pick as well, they’d have to be overjoyed. It’s also somewhat conceivable since the Suns might be the only team that’s more desperate to sort out a logjam in their rotation. Phoenix and Philly would be doing each other a solid here even though the Suns would be carrying three centers in Alex Len, Okafor, and the aging Tyson Chandler. This is probably my favorite trade idea in terms of immediate intrigue for both concerned parties. As a man named Shirley from Arizona told me: “Jerry Colangelo built downtown Phoenix. He made it what it is.” I’m certain there’s a deal to be made here that benefits everybody, or at least a friendly phone conversation should Colangelo come calling.
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