Jahlil Okafor (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The New York Knicks traded away their big man, Robin Lopez to acquire Derrick Rose. Now they could replace him with Jahlil Okafor.
The Philadelphia 76ers have reaped the benefits of "The Process" by Sam Hinkie after three years of mediocrity when they finally nabbed a potential game changer in Ben Simmons.
The plan was not entirely foolproof. Some of their targets slipped away (Andrew Wiggins most notably) and it left them with consolation prizes that may don't fit. Their best players prior to this year's draft are centers and one of them has to go. Even Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo admitted as much to Sirius XM Radio (h/t Real GM).
"There's no question you can look at our roster and say we have some unbalance," said Bryan Colangelo. "We're top heavy. We have some good talent there."
Colangelo talked positively about the individual attributes of each player.
"We have to figure out what we're going to do with everybody. When you look at the calls coming in, quite frankly, everyone's trying to poach a big man from us."
While the New York Knicks did sign a big man in Joakim Noah and they still have Kristaps Porzingis, it should be noted that Noah has missed a sizable amount of games due to injury in the past. Thus, a move for Jahlil Okafor should be considered.
Okafor was named by Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer as the likely "odd man out" in the Sixers roster.
"Not only does Embiid have the most upside, but also no team would give up much for a guy who hasn't played competitive basketball in two years. And while Noel would probably fetch the most in a trade, his athleticism and defensive potential is a much better fit with the rest of the roster," Tjarks explained.
With their rookie Ben Simmons being groomed to orchestrate the offense with sharp interior passes, a back-to-the-basket player like Okafor may not be a good fit.
However, Okafor could be a good triangle offense player, assuming that the Knicks, despite the presence of newly hired Coach Jeff Hornacek, still implement Phil Jackson's system.
"Phil seems determined to play him as an oversize 4 next to another traditional big man. Porzingis and Okafor could form a devastating high-low combo; Porzingis's ability to shoot 3s and protect the rim could cover the two biggest holes in Okafor's game," Tjarks illustrated.
The Knicks do not have too many assets to offer except for a future first round pick and possibly Kyle O' Quinn to match the salaries. This could still work because the Sixers have lost their leverage (despite Colangelo's posturing) and the price for Okafor has dropped considerably.
