Did the Philadelphia 76ers Almost Trade Okafor for David Lee?

According to recent reports, the Philadelphia 76ers may have backed out of a potential trade involving Jahlil Okafor.

The trade deadline came and went for the Philadelphia 76ers, and predictions that fans had from the start about the team potentially moving one of their big men (Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor) at the deadline turned out to be untrue. The Sixers made one small move, taking a bad contract in Joel Anthony and getting a second-round draft pick in 2017 along with it. But there may have been one situation that didn’t play all the way out that would have been more of a blockbuster trade for the team.

The Boston Celtics didn’t make any trades at the deadline, but ended up waiving their veteran player that they acquired in a trade from the Golden State Warriors, David Lee. According to the Celtics’ president, the team was very close to striking up some deals for Lee rather than having to pay his contract, but none of those played out. Ainge said that there was a team that backed out of a very big deal, and some are jumping to the conclusion that it was the Sixers, and that it was the same deal that involved Lee. It makes sense.

Ainge said that, “We almost had trades a few times, or thought there was a possibility,” regarding moving Lee. According to the Boston Herald, the trade target, or at least the largest trade scenario the Celtics were pursuing, involved Okafor. On a radio show, Ainge went into a bit more detail about what nearly went down on deadline day. The team president said, “it was very close. It was something we had been deliberating on for two days straight. The other team was doing that. And we were wrapping ourselves around a big package to do a deal. And at the very last minute, they just said they did not want to do it. They just backed out.”

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Reports are saying the team referenced is the Sixers, and more reports are saying that the team offered the Sixers the Nets’ first round pick for Okafor, which would have vastly increased the Sixers’ chances at getting a draft pick in the top 3 overall this season, since they own their own pick, would then own the Celtics, and would have the opportunity to swap with the Kings’ pick.

The Sixers “backed out” according to Ainge if he was referencing the Sixers, but during Hinkie’s press conference that addressed the deadline moves, that did not seem to be the case. Hinkie said that the team acknowledged calls from other teams on Sixers players that were getting interest, but were not “particularly close,” on any deals. So either someone is lying here, or the Sixers and Celtics were not on the same page with the conversations at all.

It’s not clear what the trade would have looked like, but I have a feeling Boston would have liked for it to have looked something like this:

None of this is confirmed, and it’s all a lot of speculation based on the cloudy comments and reports that have come forward based on what Ainge has said. Additionally, I’m making a conclusion that Ainge is talking about the same trade when he talks about Lee and the “blockbuster trade.” Ainge said they almost got a deal done for Lee, and almost had a deal done that would have been a blockbuster for Boston. I’m assuming that Lee was a moving piece in the blockbuster trade.

This seems like a deal that may have gone down if the organization was still run by just Sam Hinkie, as his hunger for draft picks in the past has clouded his judgement before. At the same time, this trade could have intrigued Jerry Colangelo, since it did come with a veteran, which is more and more what the Sixers have been doing with their roster and coaching staff, adding leadership.

Overall, though, it would have been a bad trade for the Sixers, especially with the uncertainty of the draft lottery. They would have lost what could be a cornerstone to the future of their franchise and get a pick that is not guaranteed to be good — but does vastly help their chances at getting Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram — in what’s been called a two-player draft.

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It’s not clear if the Sixers really were on board with this trade, but whether they were or not, Okafor will be with the team until the end of the season since he was not ultimately dealt at the deadline. I believe this is the right move. The team needs to ensure that Joel Embiid can play, and play at a high level, before the team considers moving Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor.