More Okafor Trade Rumors
Once again, the Okafor trade rumor mill has become active. This time, CSN New England reports that Jahlil Okafor is the primary trade target for the Boston Celtics. Okafor and the Celtics have been linked for about half a year now but those discussions were reportedly centered on a 2016 first round pick. That pick has already been used on Jaylen Brown and I don’t know that the Celtics would give him up or if the Sixers would even be interested in the swingman from Cal. The Celtics could trade the 2017 Nets pick but I doubt the Sixers could get that considering the strength of the 2017 draft and the Nets worsening roster. So what could the Sixers get from the Celtics in exchange for Okafor? I would expect the Celtics to offer some of their fringe assets like Terry Rozier, James Young and others. For me, that’s not enough to get it done but the Sixers also can’t go into the season without trading one of Noel or Okafor. I would personally keep Noel but it seems like the tide is starting to turn and that Nerlens is the more likely one to be traded. Recently, Okafor joined the team in Las Vegas and has been a more available presence with the team, whereas we have not really heard from Noel at all recently. These things may just be anecdotal, but often where there is smoke, there is fire. With all those factors in mind, I don’t really buy these rumors turning into an actual trade unless the Celtics make a legitimate offer for Okafor.
Sixers Officially Sign Saric
After years of doubt, the Sixers have officially signed the talented Croatian forward. By bringing Saric over now, the Sixers lock him up on an insanely cheap four year deal. This deal will take Saric through the beginning of his prime years and then he will become a restricted free agent. The Sixers now can have Saric under team control for the best years of his career if he works out because he spent his developmental years overseas. In terms of his game, I extensively scouted Saric last summer. His game remains largely the same. He’s continued to become a better long range shooter and has further improved on his turnover issues. His shooting makes him a little more viable as a small forward than previously thought, but I still wouldn’t play him there for long periods of time. I think Saric will be very good as the sixth man who helps to run the second unit offense while also playing some minutes with the starters. Overall, I think it’s great for the Sixers that Saric has decided to come over. It makes them immediately better while also helping their long term financials. Usually a team can’t do those things at the same time, so this is a home run for Philadelphia.
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Report: Sixers not Interested in Dion Waiters
Earlier in the week, the Thunder decided to rescind Dion Waiters’ qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Sixers, along with the Nets, were immediately linked with Waiters due to a dearth of backcourt talent and an exorbitant amount of cap space. A one year deal could make sense for both sides and it has long been rumored that Waiters has at least some interest in playing for his hometown Sixers. I wouldn’t be opposed to overpaying Waiters on a one year deal, but it appears the Sixers would be. According to Keith Pompey of Philly.com, the Sixers like Waiters but are worried about the impact that he could have on team chemistry and the development of the younger players on the team. Waiters himself has never gotten into any trouble, but his on court reputation combined with trouble seemingly following those close to him, teams see a danger with Waiters. You can argue about whether that’s fair or if Dion has just been unlucky in life in terms of those personal tragedies. Still, it seems to be enough to scare off the Sixers, which considering their young core, is understandable.
Sixers Sign Cat Barber and Brandon Paul
In the past few days, the Sixers have signed guards Car Barber and Brandon Paul to partially guaranteed contracts. Barber just recently finished an impressive collegiate career at NC State, while Paul (an Illinois product) played professionally in Italy last season. Neither of these guys have a particularly great chance of making the final roster. Barber is a lightning quick guard but he’s small, weak and a streaky shooter with subpar vision. Paul has some good athleticism but is undersized and could use some more skill development. Like I said, neither guy projectd to make the roster but by giving these guys partially guaranteed contracts, the Sixers have the chance to obtain the D-League rights for both players. The Sixers won’t have their exclusive NBA rights (meaning another team could sign them to a NBA contract) but the Sixers will be able to send these guys to Delaware without using an NBA Roster spot if they choose to go this route. The team can do that with up to four players so I would expect them to do this with Barber and Paul, as well as rookies Shawn Long and James Webb III. I don’t think any of these guys has much of an NBA future outside of Webb, but it’s good for the Sixers to get these guys into their development system in order to get a better chance to evaluate them up close.
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