Jahlil Okafor and Jimmy Butler (Photo : Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers are still seeking to trade their center Jahlil Okafor and the number of teams interested is dwindling.
After draft night and free agency, many of the teams that were interested in Okafor have already addressed their center holes. Even the Boston Celtics are now looking for stars and a center is just secondary. There were rumors that they would hold out until Danny Ainge eventually surrendered the no.3 pick, but that plan backfired.
The center spot was the most coveted position in basketball a decade ago. Centers were drafted first overall ahead of more prolific prospects simply because of their position: Andrew Bogut over Chris Paul in 2005, Michael Olowokandi over Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter and Paul Pierce in 1998 and the infamous Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in 2007. Needless to say, many of the teams who took the center route deeply regretted it.
Okafor is an old school center and a prolific one at that. He has won in every level of competition, with a national title at Duke being the crown of his achievements. To transition from a champion team to Philadelphia at the tail-end of "The Process," ending up with a 10-72 record (12% winning percentage!) is quite a drop.
Any team that bad will make its players look bad and the Sixers are paying for their draft haul with free agency snubs and reduced trade value even for a winner like Okafor.
The perception is that the Sixers now see trading Okafor as a necessity and it could prove to be a bargain on the right team. Hoops Habit noted five teams that could trade for Okafor, but writer Vijay Vemu may have missed out the best prospect.
It's out of left field but the Houston Rockets, with Coach Mike D'Antoni was the suggestion from the comments. According to 'ejh,' a core of Okafor, James Harden, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Patrick Beverley, and Clint Capela is a good starting point. He pointed out that the Sixers could easily accept Trevor Ariza as trade bait as the team needs veteran scoring at every position.
Houston Rockets' team site Space City Scoop seems big on Okafor. "In spite of only appearing in 53 games this season, Okafor has shown the potential to become one of the best big men in the league." While the fit with the D'Antoni offense wasn't considered, the Rockets roster could use some inside offense, something Capela could not provide at the moment.
The problems D'Antoni had with the Lakers were about spacing when Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol played together. If he had just Okafor, D'Antoni could probably figure it out. Okafor is still young and coachable.
