The latest buzz from the NBA trade rumor mill is that not one, but two Philadelphia 76ers centers could find a new home.
The first one is about Jahlil Okafor who was recently been dubbed as the center most likely to move. Sam Amick of USA Today was acknowledged as the first to break the news.
"According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the Pelicans are in serious trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire second-year big man Jahlil Okafor. The Sixers, who are known to have engaged with eight teams regarding Okafor, are pushing for the Pelicans' first-round pick in the deal."
The Pelicans want to make the first round pick lottery-protected, which seems fair even for a no.3 overall pick. There are also reports (from Marc Spears of The Undefeated) that Alexis Ajinca will also get shipped to Philadelphia.
That does not seem like a big haul for Okafor, certainly not what the Sixers expected but Okafor has been on the block even before the season began. The Sixers failed to "showcase" the former Duke standout and there does not seem to be any compelling reason to covet him now. The saturation of centers in the trade market also did not help Philly's cause. A mid-first round pick in a loaded draft may be fair for Okafor at this stage.
Will the Sixers have more luck trading Nerlens Noel, who was reportedly on the LA Lakers' radar? Sean Deveney of Sporting News had the lowdown on that rumor.
"The Lakers have inserted themselves on trade talks this season and will continue to do so. They had talks with Atlanta about Paul Millsap and expressed interest in Nerlens Noel, if the Sixers decide to go ahead with a deal for him."
Since the time that was published, the Lakers have went south and dropped in the standings. Now that Magic Johnson is now part of the Lakers front office, many pundits perceive it as an indication that the franchise has been losing patience.
However, if the Lakers would trade for Noel, it's unlikely that they would touch any of their young core players like D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram or Julius Randle.