Jahlil Okafor (Photo : Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers have yet to decide the fate of Jahlil Okafor, but sending the 20-year-old center to the Los Angeles Lakers could be the best option for Philly.
It could only be a matter of when before the 76ers move one of their available big men, and many believe the top candidate to get traded is Okafor.
In his rookie season with the Sixers, Okafor showed the potential to become a force down low offensively, averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds a game. But his defensive flaws deem him unfitting to play in Philadelphia's crowded frontcourt.
There are several potential destinations the 76ers could explore for Okafor, who has been linked to a handful of teams, including the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. But according to CBS Sports' Zach Harper, trading him to the Lakers could be the "best option" available for the 76ers if they truly intend to move Okafor.
"Maybe this is the best option -- to approach the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that passed on Okafor with the No. 2 pick a year ago, and see if there is interest in pairing him with D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram moving forward," Harper wrote.
"Immediately, you exclaim that the Lakers just gave $64 million to Timofey Mozgov, but a couple of teams gave big contracts to big men who may end up being backups or even third bigs in the rotation."
The Lakers have plenty of frontcourt pieces in their current roster, which makes adding Okafor a weird move for LA. But as Harper argued, teams like the Wizards, Magic and the Lakers themselves have handed out big contracts to players who are likely to get a backup role, which makes acquiring Okafor somehow viable for Los Angeles.
Okafor could become the Lakers' starting center, allowing him to grow alongside D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram. Okafor's slow-paced offense and lack of defense may see him in limited minutes, but it would be intriguing to see him develop under the tutelage of Luke Walton.
In Harper's trade scenario, the 76ers would send Okafor to the Lakers for Julius Randle, Lou Williams and a protected first-round pick.
"Then maybe the Lakers part with Julius Randle, Lou Williams and a protected first-round pick. That would probably be enough value for the Sixers to feel good about letting Okafor go," Harper noted.
Randle would give the 76ers another versatile forward who can handle and distribute the ball, although it would still create a crowded frontcourt for Philadelphia. Williams, on the other hand, would offer Philly a reliable scorer and outside shooting, something the 76ers would probably need to free up some space for their bigs.
It's unclear whether the Lakers would develop any interests in acquiring Okafor now, especially after the addition of Yi Jianlian this summer. But the Lakers have been rumored to have their eyes on Okafor, and his availability may lead to LA revisiting any of those possibilities.
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