Jordan Clarkson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers have been quietly doing their rounds this season but a potential NBA trade could happen in December. Both teams do need to address roster openings and deal could work to the benefit of both clubs.
One on end, the Sixers have been looking to unload its overloaded frontcourt with the prime need of a guard. Okafor and Nerlens Noel have plagued the NBA trade rumor mill but nothing has cropped u p so far.
Noel has been slightly off the trade rumors with the 22-year-old player out with a knee injury. His name has cropped up time and again though it seems no may trade up for someone who may not be ready until the middle of the 2016-17 NBA season.
With that said, the focus has now shifted to Okafor who could end up with the team he originally wanted to before the 2015 NBA Draft. He was believed to be the no. 2 pick of the Lakers that year but the team went with D’Angelo Russell instead, Silver Screen and Roll reported.
As things stand now, he could still end up wearing the purple and gold though it may include Sergio Rodriguez. Salary factors come into play seeing how Clarkson signed a $50 million four-year deal with the Lakers back in July 2016, SB Nation reported.
Looking at the Lakers right now, Russell has been showing tremendous improvement under first-year head coach Luke Walton. He has been slowly showing the hype tied up to his college basketball career as he pairs up with Clarkson and other guys Walton sends out to the floor.
With the rise of Russell, Clarkson’s flourish has dipped a bit as he shares playing time with other players like Nick Young and Lou Williams. He is still seen a key part of the future though the Lakers also need to address their big man needs.
The Lakers do have Timofey Mozgov and Julius Randle but Okafor could be a big boost. He needs to be guided but with a young core, he could very well blossom under the watch of Walton and tandem with Russell and Randle moving forward.
The video below weighs in on possible trade scenarios involving Jahlil Okafor.