Rumors have been thrown out all over the city of Philadelphia concerning Jahlil Okafor and his future with the 76ers after playing just a half of a season. Although no one with a shred of sense has dared to call Okafor a bust, the sheer amount of trade scenarios that float around him seems to make the conversation worth discussing, especially since the trade deadline is looming closer with each passing day.
Many of those scenarios include Okafor being traded in some kind of package to acquire NBA prospect Ben Simmons and some other package of young NBA players and prospects, which only seem to make sense in a scenario where Joel Embiid is healthy and eligible to play going into next year.
This isn’t a brand new idea being discussed throughout the city though. Fans will always discuss different ways they believe they can improve their favorite team, whether through the draft, trades, free agency, or a combination of the three.
There will always be a trade scenario that COULD vault the 76ers from the basement of the NBA to its successful and elite ranks. 2K gaming fans will always take the roster of the 76ers and butcher it in order to acquire a hugely talented line-up (even if they trade away all the team’s assets in doing so).
Most fans believe that the 76ers are only a few pieces away from being at the top of a weak Eastern Conference, and there is nothing wrong with believing that. Depending on how well you can spin the argument, many of the fans are right, but there is something profoundly wrong with this way of thinking.
Building a long term competitive team isn’t possible through a bunch of trades.
General manager Sam Hinkie has made his plan clear; he wants to stock up on picks, and find a way to hit the talent lottery. That isn’t a bad way to build a team. Depending on good coaching and good scouting, acquiring talent will always increase the amount of success a team will experience looking long term.
That being said, trading Jahlil Okafor would be the greatest mistake the team could ever make.
Okafor is the only positive outcome in the draft Hinkie has gotten from the last few years of tanking, and he is the unquestioned foundation of the team. In about 30 minutes per game, Okafor is averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds per game on 49% shooting from the field. However, his impact on the court and his skill level far exceeds the statistical production he currently owns. Okafor is, by far, the most talented player on the 76ers roster and easily the most offensively gifted as well.
As a true center, Okafor’s game is definitely far from complete, but his talent is pure. Many of his detractors point to his lack of defense and rebounding as shortcomings, and they do have valid points when you compare him to other top players at his position. He certainly doesn’t bring the rebounding prowess or the brute physicality you would expect of a rugged post player.
Okafor also doesn’t bring the hyper athleticism or the defensive ferocity that players like Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan bring, respectively. Still, he is 20 years old, and has an unreal post game that many players in the NBA will never have. He has also shown the ability to carry a significant offensive load.
Like any rookie player, he does struggle with consistency but that is not a product of his own ability as much as it is a product of the state of the team and his youth.
Did I mention he has less than 60 games of NBA experience?
Trading such an important and valuable commodity like Okafor would be a terrible decision on the part of the 76ers. Every NBA team needs a cornerstone player to build upon. Most of the time, that player has to have a set of skills that cannot be rivaled by other players on the team and has to have the potential to develop into a great player. In this case, there is no need invoke statistics to back-up Okafor’s value in both of those categories.
Okafor is clearly the foundation of this young team, and has proven to be exactly what Sam Hinkie was tanking for. If Hinkie ever decided to trade Okafor, it would be difficult to imagine Jerry Colangelo and the 76ers ownership signing off on the move without a significant asset being received. There simply isn’t a plethora of trades that involve dealing Okafor that could bring the amount of youth, potential, and star power that he brings by himself. He is a rarity in the post with the chance to become a star post player.
Trading him doesn’t make sense at this point.
The point of drafting and signing huge amounts of talent is not to trade it away for more new talent. It is to combine that talent together on one roster, and develop that talent to fulfill its potential as a team. Fans will always continue to fall in love with the next big popular player that is expected to have an impact in the NBA, and the league does a great job of keeping those fans excited about the draft.
However, teams should view the draft as a tool to acquire new talent to develop over a certain period of time. Not many players will come into the league and dominate immediately, and it isn’t a good policy to continuously hope for that kind of rare player.
Hinkie should know that just as well as anyone, which is exactly why he will not be trading Okafor anytime soon.
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