The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Trading Jahlil Okafor Could Parallel The Charles Barkley Fiasco

By Bret Stuter

Mar 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers special advisor Jerry Colangelo (M) sits courtside during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers special advisor Jerry Colangelo (M) sits courtside during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) celebrates with center Jahlil Okafor (8) after a score against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) celebrates with center Jahlil Okafor (8) after a score against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Evolve, not Dissolve

So what alternatives do the team have to exercise?  Why MUST we do anything?  The team carried a rehabbing Joel Embiid on the roster for two years.  Does carrying a trio of very talented players hurt the team for another year?   Or does it give the team an option of wowing the entire NBA by going with a skyscraper lineup of Embiid, Okafor, and Noel on the floor simultaneously?  Could the team place a sweet passing player like Dario Saric on the floor as well and experiment?   They have won nine games.   It’s time to go bold, take the training wheels off of the team and see just how much horsepower is under the hood.  Then, if experiments fail, use those lessons learned to make far more intelligent and meaningful decisions.

Holding onto Okafor after Joel Embiid returns gives the team the chance to mesh three high quality players.  It gives the team the opportunity to see what the second year of Jahlil Okafor’s NBA career will reveal.  It gives the team a chance to evolve, not revolt, the front court into that blend which will carry the team into the future.  The stakes are FAR TOO HIGH to place a side wager on the career of Jahlil Okafor in the belief that 76er general manager Sam Hinkie can outsmart another NBA general manager once more.  Another draft pick gives the Sixers even more pain as they struggle to develop all of the young talent currently on the roster.  Trading for another player gives the Sixers a risk of ending up on the short end of a blockbuster trade.

Wait, and let the urgency of the team staring at a fading chance at competing in the NBA playoffs drive the price up on each of the team’s front court standouts.   Wait and let the team see firsthand what the capabilities are of the second year center out of Duke University.  Wait and see how the returning Joel Embiid holds up to the demands of his first NBA season.  Wait and see how the 2017 draft projects at next year’s trade deadline.

Next: Don't Stop Believing