The LA Lakers were linked to the NBA trade rumor that almost came to fruition when Jahlil Okafor was benched by Philadelphia 76ers in their game against the Miami Heat.
However, further developments have cast doubt that there was an actual deal in place. There were talks that Okafor was involved with teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trailblazers, Denver Nuggets and LA Lakers. These teams, at one time or another have expressed slight interest in the former 3rd overall pick.
Keith Pompey of the Philly.com gave the clarification on Okafor's status with the team.
"A team source confirmed multiple reports that Okafor flew to Boston on Tuesday to rejoin the team. However, coach Brett Brown said on WIP on Wednesday morning that Okafor is scheduled to fly here in a couple of hours to join the team for shootaround," Pompey wrote.
"Okafor did not travel with the team to Monday's game in Charlotte or play in Saturday's home game against Miami because trade talks were progressing on several fronts. Instead of going to Charlotte, Okafor said he worked out at the team's practice facility at the Camden waterfront," his report concluded.
It was explained that teams have various reasons for keeping their players on hold during trade talks, injury risk being the most common. What this whole situation has shown is that the Sixers are desperate to trade Okafor.
The Lakers have distanced themselves from the Okafor talks. The Blazers and Nuggets have made a trade of their own centers and were promptly ruled out. The Lakers on the other hand, have reportedly expressed interest in free agent center Larry Sanders.
The report came from SB Nation team blog Silver Screen and Roll when they posted Mike Bresnahan's tweet.
Harrison Faigen of SSaR reminded that Sanders suddenly walked out of the league due to "anxiety and depression." There have been talks about his return at different points of the season but they never materialized. It's hard to imagine why this would be different.
However, the Lakers do have a need for a rim protector. Timofey Mozgov is not playing the part, as "Los Angeles is currently allowing their opponents to shoot a league-worst 66 percent within six feet of the basket this season."
Sanders is also being linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that has always needed a center but somehow got by with their talented power forwards. Now that one of them is injured (All-Star Kevin Love), that need has been magnified.
As yet, there is still no definite offer for Sanders from either the Lakers or the Cavs.