Philadelphia 76ers: Trading Jahlil Okafor Makes Sense

Although he’s been looked at as the possible future of the franchise, the Philadelphia 76ers may be wise to trade Jahlil Okafor.

The Philadelphia 76ers are still stuck in a rut of their rebuild. Having made little progress in the three year span of the “trust the process” movement implemented by Sam Hinkie and management, another trade may be in the horizon with Jerry Colangelo. After all, Colangelo has shown he isn’t afraid to flex some muscle to get what he wants. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, a dim light that gets brighter after I make my argument why Jahlil Okafor should be traded before the February trade deadline.

Okafor is a terrific offensive scorer in the post. The big guy is leading all rookies with 17.2 points per game. But it seems that perhaps it would be best if the 76ers parted ways with the offensively talented big man. He doesn’t fit the type of offense Brett Brown and Mike D’antoni are trying to implement on this team. They made one step forward by acquiring a point guard that can push the ball, but also can run the offense with quick pace.

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Okafor’s style of offense slows down their offensive scheme, which is why when he is on the floor the team’s offensive rating is 93.4, as opposed to 99.5, which is a differential of -6.1. Also, the Sixers’ average pace (the number of possessions a team has per 48 minutes) has increased to 97.3 since the Smith trade. But when Okafor is in the lineup, that goes down to 95.8. When Smith and Nerlens Noel are on the court, with Noel at the center position, the team’s pace is 99.

Let’s not forget how the Sixers perform when the Okafor/Noel duo is on the floor together. Overall, it’s been horrible:

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Hinkie and Colangelo should swing for the fences making a trade to fix this.

Philadelphia 76ers receive:

PG Marcus Smart, SG Kevin Martin, PF/C Kelly Olynyk and 1st round pick from Boston (via Brooklyn Nets)

Minnesota Timberwolves receive:

Terry Rozier, Isaiah Canaan and 1st round pick from Oklahoma City (from Sixers)

Boston Celtics receive: 

C Jahlil Okafor

This would work for a number of reasons:

1. Danny Ainge and the Celtics gets their potential “star.”
2. The Sixers get a solid back up point guard in Marcus Smart and three-point spacing from Martin and Olynyk, and a first round pick that will likely end up in the top-five. The Sixers also get rid of Canaan who hasn’t been the most consistent player by any means this season.
3. The Wolves get rid of Kevin Martin’s contract and a potential steal of a trade piece in Terry Rozier.

Olynyk right gets around 20-22 minutes per game for the Celtics. With his ability to space the floor, Noel would be able to play alongside with him. Per 36 minutes, Olynyk is doing quite well.

Kelly Olynyk per 36 minutes

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It may be a long shot for this happen, but a trade with Boston would allow the Sixers to swing for a home-run player in the 2016 NBA draft. If somehow the Sixers miss out on the Los Angeles Lakers pick, then they can turn to the Nets pick. Ben Simmons is going to be great, Brandon Ingram has that potential as well as he continues to grow and mature his body. The Sixers need to make sure they lock up a chance to get him. Imagine a lineup of Smith-Ingram-Grant/Covington-Simmons-Noel. It could be one that is able to compete for really convincing wins in 2016.