Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers slaps hands with Joel Embiid against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center on October 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo : Getty Images/Mitchell Leff)
The Philadelphia 76ers are on the brink of trading second year center Jahlil Okafor before the National Basketball Association trade deadline on Feb. 23 but star big man Joel Embiid wishes the organization would keep Okafor and the whole team, noting that they can make the playoffs next year with the core they have right now.
Okafor has been benched repeatedly in the previous games of the 76ers since there were times that Philadelphia almost pulled the trigger of a potential trade. Despite the trade rumors, Embiid hopes Okafor would be kept by the 76ers, saying the teams has the talent to make it work, Philly.com reported.
Philadelphia wants to trade Okafor since pairing him with either Embiid or Nerlens Noel does not do good for the 76ers. Okafor has not been paired with Embiid since the end of 2016 and the 76ers need to fix their frontcourt logjam as they also have Richaun Holmes as a backup center.
The former Duke University star is averaging 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 23.0 minutes of action but defensively, Okafor has been a liability. Though he is averaging 1.1 blocks per game, his defensive deficiencies has been one thing the 76ers do not want from him.
The 76ers have had talks with the New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls but with the blockbuster trade that sent Sacramento Kings' star DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans, Okafor's chances of being traded has gone slim not that the aforementioned teams except the Bulls have already traded for a big man, Fansided reported.
Also, teams are not really into Okafor's style of play which is to back his opponent up since the NBA has evolved with big men shooting threes and running the floor. Okafor's athleticism and lack of defensive presence has always been an issue to possible suitors.
