Jahlil Okafor May Have Been Traded Before or During Heat Game, or at Least Close

The Philadelphia 76ers have been involved in NBA rumors as of late, and Jahlil Okafor may have been traded during the game agains the Miami Heat.

NBA Rumors season is here, and the Philadelphia 76ers are heavily involved. With the team having gone into this season with three lottery pick big men from the last few NBA Drafts, it was no surprise that the team was looking to move someone.

After failed experiments with the team trying to figure out how to run all three players and give each of them significant minutes, and with the team attempting to run different combinations of big men on the floor together, it was clear tall ball did not work. With that in mind, there was a clear motive going into the trade deadline month — get rid of a big man.

The Sixers have streaked in the month of January, and a lot of that was due to the team having a reputable defensive identity. Jahlil Okafor clearly does not look to fit into that, but Nerlens Noel does.

So it wasn’t a surprise that Okafor was the one who was rumored to be on the move, with both the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans showing interest in him.

During the Sixers game over the Miami Heat, Okafor didn’t play. The Sixers would win that game, even as Joel Embiid continued to sit. During the game, however, it was reported by David Aldridge that Okafor was held out of the game because trade talks regarding him — that had originally come onto the scene earlier in the week — were beginning to heat up.

Garry Cobb, a Philadelphia media member, said that Okafor was shaking hands with some of the team coaches and personnel “behind the scenes.”

I’m not sure that Okafor would be informed mid-game that he was traded, but perhaps Okafor was informed before the game that it was likely he would be on the move. Whether or not a deal was made on Saturday is unknown at this point, but we might see things surface in the coming days.

Next: Simmons Return Date, Broken Down Logically

It’s worth noting that usually trades have to be submitted before a certain time, so if anything occurred on Saturday during the game, it was probably an agreeable on trade terms, not an actual trade going through.

Update (2/11, 10:45 pm)

After the game, head coach Brett Brown confirmed to the media that the reason Okafor was held out from competing was due to ongoing trade talks before the game. Keith Pompey reported that there’s a good chance Okafor could sit through the final two games leading up to the All-Star break due to those talks, as the team fears that a potential injury could occur, thus making the chances of a trade unlikely.