With the NBA Draft, and several different possible deals on the line for the Philadelphia 76ers, Jahlil Okafor could be facing his last day in Philly.
With the NBA Draft day finally here, there is rising speculation as far as who will still be with the Philadelphia 76ers by the end of the day. The Sixers are rumored to be having active conversations with several different teams about possible trades, several of those being about the team’s rookie center/power forward Jahlil Okafor.
Jahlil has been brought up as a trade piece by fans all season long. It was evident about halfway through this season, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor would never be able to coexist on a single roster. Add in Joel Embiid who is supposed to be returning from injury this season (he was just cleared for light 5-on-5 scrimmages) and the problems just keep piling up.
While I think there’s reason for the team to try and wait out the issues through this season, I understand that there is also positives to getting things moving during the draft.
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Aside from the trade deadline, the NBA Draft night is often the heaviest trade night of the season. With several teams looking to improve their draft stock or bring in already existing new NBA players, teams are frantically making calls to put themselves in the best position possible.
The day before the draft, we saw this occur. The Chicago Bulls traded Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, and other big trades occurred.
Several of those trades involved the Sixers in one way or another. And I expect the same to be reported tonight. The Sixers themselves have said that they will actively take and make phone calls about players, including Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, their two largest value trade components.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia 76ers reported that the Sixers have shopped Okafor to 15 teams and counting.
With all of that in mind, it becomes incredibly clear that we could very well see Okafor moving to another team by the time Thursday night’s NBA Draft is over.
Whether the Sixers trade him for a higher pick in the draft, a veteran point guard, or a mix of the two is unknown at this point, but I would make an educated guess and say there’s as much as a 50 percent chance that Okafor is traded tonight.
That being said, Okafor could have already played his last game as a Sixer. And how he went out in a Sixers uniform is not exactly ideal — with an injury. His season came to an end with a minor contusion and then a later-found minor meniscus tear.
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Personally, I would like to see Okafor play a sophomore season before the Sixers deal him. Not only would that let them see what he can be as a more established NBA player, but it would boost his trade value even further.
Still, be on the lookout throughout the day and night for Okafor trades. It very well could happen.