Since the Philadelphia 76ers ended the 2015-2016 NBA Season, every NBA team knew the 76ers would eventually need to trade a center. But as trade talks with New Orleans heats up, it is the Philadelphia 76ers who emerge from this waiting game with the advantage.
Trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers are heating up, as we knew they would. In fact, NBA rumors are beginning to close in on a deal sought by the New Orleans Pelicans, who desperately want center Jahlil Okafor. In return, the Philadelphia 76ers are seeking a Pelicans first round draft pick.
But it’s a rapidly changing storyline. So what can we learn from a storyline where there is so little hard facts to go on?
Simply this. The Philadelphia 76ers will not hold the door open while teams sort out their best bargain basement offers. It’s a storyline that was easily anticipated. We discussed how ten teams in the NBA needed to start talking to the Philadelphia 76ers in order to improve their teams. You see, the NBA believed that the Philadelphia 76ers would be forced to take pennies on the dollar as to their valuable young players.
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But as fate would have it, it was the Philadelphia 76ers who emerged with the leverage this season. Center Joel Embiid has been nothing short of fantastic, and his leadership has helped the Philadelphia 76ers define their roles. All of that translated into the Philadelphia 76ers winning games this year without trading any centers.
Jahlil Okafor may not be “the guy” in Philadelphia, but he could be “the guy” on an NBA team, if given the chance. He has a great deal of ability to score.