The NBA trade rumor mill still hosts the Philadelphia 76ers who are determined to make a splash in the 2016 NBA Draft.
The Sixers continue to struggle in their quest to streamline their roster and fix the logjam at the frontcourt. However, that's much easier said than done. While they have their hands full on deciding to pick first in the draft, their quest for another lottery pick has not yielded favorable results.
According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Sixers quest to trade Okafor for another top five pick in this year's draft will most likely end in failure, as he shared to 97.5 The Fanatic's Joe DeCamara. (h/t Liberty Ballers)
"I think that the Sixers and I both believed that the most valuable asset they had other than the No. 1 pick was [Jahlil] Okafor. I think that now, several weeks of gauging that interest around the league has led them to the conclusion that he might not be as valuable as they once thought."
It can be perceived two ways-Okafor stock is dropping or the draft prospect's values are rising. More and more teams started to covet Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, and Jaylen Brown.
"I think they went into the process asking the question, 'Would we trade for the No. 3 pick, or the No. 4 pick or the No. 5 pick for a guy like Okafor, would that be good value for us?' And I think they've walked out of that scenario saying, 'We don't think we can actually get that for Okafor right now.'"
The Sixers still need to improve their backcourt and if they can't get Dunn or Murray, they have to pursue free agent point guards (not at all easy with the thin market and the stiff competition).
However, there is one trade that heavily favors them, according to CSN Chicago. Through the process of elimination, the Philadelphia 76ers is one of the three best destinations for former MVP Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.
Kevin Anderson of CSN narrowed down the possible trade partners for Rose to the Sixers, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks. They are teams who can absorb Rose's salary, has a need for a point guard, not division rivals of Chicago and has assets to offer.
The Sixers could win out because they can dangle their two late first round picks (24 and 26). Not much to rave about but the line of inquiries about Rose is not exactly very lengthy. Also, the Bulls have a good history with late first round picks.(Jimmy Butler anyone?)
Anderson reminded that for the Bulls, "there is no pressure to trade Rose, he is still loved by the average fan, and he believes he has a lot left to give a team. For any trade to work, both teams have to feel they are getting good value in return." The Sixers are unlikely to parade six rookies in their roster (Joel Embiid and Dario Saric are virtually rookies) so they also have motivation to trade.
Trading the picks to see if Rose has something left in the tank is not too risky, after all he is an expiring contract.