Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor is reportedly on the trading block. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly trying to deal the 2015 NBA Draft's third overall pick Jahlil Okafor with hours to go before the NBA trade deadline comes.
SB Nation reported that the Sixers, currently donning an NBA cellar-dwelling 8-45 slate, are "gauging interest" in their rookie center Okafor as the trade deadline approaches, citing Tom Moore of Calkins Media as source.
Okafor has been one of the best rookies this season, averaging 17.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 30.4 minutes a night in 47 games so far for Philly, which could certainly make him attracted to interested teams.
The report noted that in spite of his "big statistics and an impressive pedigree" (Okafor won the 2015 NCAA title with the Duke Blue Devils), the Sixers cannot seem to find the right teammates to complement the 20-year-old big man's game and the off-court issues he has been implicated with are not helping all parties involved to solve his current basketball developmental issues.
The Sixers has a ton of young basketball talent right now particularly in its frontcourt, with Nerlens Noel and the presently sidelined Joel Embiid, and this could be a potential problem in the future if the team will not address it at the earliest possible time.
This situation could force the team's management to make hard decisions and reportedly it is Okafor's name on the trading block.
CBS Sports' Matt Moore noted that while 6-foot-11 Fort Smith, Arkansas native is a force on the offensive end of the floor, he is "a defensive liability", which is not the case with Noel. The Sixers are said to be obviously not giving up on Embiid and so the remaining option for them to move on from this trio of young centers is Okafor.
More said that the possibility of Okafor getting traded before the deadline "comes down to Embiid and what he can do".
If the team believes that Embiid can recover and still play in the NBA, then trading Okafor now while his value is super high will be advantageous to the ball club. But if they want an insurance in case Embiid follows Greg Oden's footsteps, then Okafor should stay.
It was clarified, though, that the Sixers are just "kicking the tires on potential deals" and are not 100 percent keen on giving Okafor away. Still, they certainly got the attention of interested teams.
