Young NBA stars Jahlil Okafor (L) and D'Angelo Russell could be Lakers teammates next season. (Photo : Getty Images)
Rumors have emerged that the Los Angeles Lakers could land young center Jahlil Okafor in the summer if they trade their second overall pick in this year's draft to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers acquired the no. 2 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft this June on Tuesday night during the NBA draft lottery proceedings. The team is expected to pick either LSU's Ben Simmons or Duke's Brandon Ingram depending on who the Sixers will select as the top pick.
However, that is not the only prediction of analysts this summer as a possible trade between Los Angeles and Philadelphia involving the second pick and one of the best young big men in the league, Okafor, is forecasted to happen.
The Sixers are fully loaded in young talent when it comes to its frontline as aside from Okafor they also have defensive monster Nerlens Noel and hulking center Joel Embiid, both 22-year-olds, in their roster.
What Philadelphia lacks are talented wing players and they are in perfect position to draft one of them in the person of Simmons and Ingram, Inquisitr reported.
Meanwhile, SB Nation indicated that Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers are willing to part ways with the no. 2 pick if they can get a center that could jell well with their existing core of youngsters Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D'Angelo Russell.
If that is the case then the two cellar-dwelling teams of the most recent regular season could perhaps help one another by pulling off the said trade scenario: the Lakers' second overall selection in exchange for 6-foot-11, 20-year-old Okafor.
By making the trade, Philadelphia will be able to land both Simmons and Ingram to their side and form a young and fearsome duo at the small forward and shooting guard positions, something that the team had been searching for a long time.
With the comebacking Embiid at the center spot and Noel sliding to the power forward position, all the Sixers need is a veteran defensive point guard that can also shoot from outside the rainbow line and they are on their way to be a competitive team, if not a contender, in the future.
The Lakers are bound to receive a lot of advantages with Okafor in the starting lineup alongside Randle, Russell, and Clarkson. Also, with Okafor aboard, the team might have a chance to lure this free-agency period's biggest prize, Kevin Durant.
A starting lineup of Okafor and Randle inside, Durant in the wings, and Russell and Clarkson in the backcourt will be formidable moving forward.
