Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Frank Kaminsky III of the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on November 2, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo : Getty Images/Streeter Lecka)
The NBA trade rumors were rocked last week when Jahlil Okafor was benched by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Their coach Brett Brown admitted that the reason for his decision to shelf Okafor was that there was a trade in the offing. As the entire basketball world waited for the official announcement, a different trade came forth. That was the trade between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.
It was quite a simple center swap. The Blazers are hoping to save some money. They have the second highest payroll in the league, only LeBron and the Cavs spend more. That's fine since they're the defending champs. But when you're outside the playoff picture, even Paul Allen could feel the pinch.
Jusuf Nurkic of the Denver Nuggets went public with his diminished role, but what can he do? Nikola Jokic is as legit as they come and the Nuggets have to adjust to him now. The Blazers were also after the first round pick (via Memphis).
It was later revealed that the Portland Trail Blazers was the team involved in the Okafor trade, the reason why he was held for the game against the Miami Heat. It was revealed by David Aldridge via Twitter.
The 76ers pulled Jahlil Okafor from their lineup last week b/c a deal w/Portland for the center was close to happening, per league sources.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) February 18, 2017
In this story, the Sixers were the scorned team. That was probably why the Nuggets needed to add a first rounder-so the Blazers will take Nurkic instead of Okafor.
Nevertheless, the Sixers had to take Okafor back and find another trade partner. There were rumors that the Chicago Bulls were also involved but they have yet to make a concrete offer.
While it seems like there is little interest for Okafor, the Fansided team blog The Sixer Sense already floated a three-team deal that involved the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics was often rumored to be interested in Okafor, but they were looking for a rebounder and Okafor does not fit the mold. The Dallas Mavericks could take interest in Okafor as their frontline scorer in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era.
Lucas Johnson in The Sixer Sense suggested: "In this trade, Dallas would receive Jahlil Okafor, Boston would get Andrew Bogut, and Philadelphia would be rewarded with Amir Johnson, Terry Rozier and Justin Anderson."
Bogut provides the defense, toughness and rebounding for the Celtics while the Sixers will get young talents in every position. On paper, it does fulfill the needs of three teams, but there might be some other complications.
