Philadelphia 76ers trade Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn Nets

Philadelphia 76ers C Jahlil Okafor and SG Nik Stauskas have offensive NBA potential. Today the team converted that potential into Brooklyn Nets Trevor Booker

In a surprise of no surprise, the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to ship benched center Jahlil Okafor, shooting guard Nik Stauskas, and a second round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for power forward Trevor Booker.  In one fell swoop, the team has packaged two players they have no intention of retaining and a second round pick for a solid add to the front court.

The Philadelphia 76ers had to do something.  Benching marketable assets of both Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas was simply bad business for the team and a distraction to the players.  So in the course of “just do something”, this is a good step.

Bad business

Let’s start off this narrative on the right foot. The Philadelphia 76ers had the right to do what they want. They can play whomever they play, and sit whomever they wish to bench. But it doesn’t mean fans need to applaud all the moves. Until today’s trade, the team’s decision to commit Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas to NBA limbo seemed… extreme. But moreso, it felt like a bad business decision.

But is it truly bad business to bench players who don’t fit the style of play?  Perhaps it isn’t. But in many cases, it may very well be just that.  Let’s follow up on three scenarios where it is bad business.

Scenario I – Game is out of hand (bad performance) and has no answers. In this scenario, a change in rotation can’t hurt, can it?
Scenario II – Starters are winded/tweaked and need a bridge in the game’s rotation. In this scenario, the objective is to maintain a normal rotation pattern so as not to overtax any one player.
Scenario III – Game is well in hand (good performance) and team can rest starters.  In this scenario, there is the risk of playing a quality Okafor or Stauskas in “garbage minutes”. But is it truly disrespecting a player to give him time on the court?

Good business

This deal is actually a pretty good deal for both teams. The addition of Okafor, Stauskas, and a 2019 second round pick jump starts the upside of talent pool for the Brooklyn Nets. With the pair, the Brooklyn Nets have much better depth going forward.

The deal removes two players from the Philadelphia 76ers roster who are no longer part of the equation. Both players were added during Sam Hinkie’s reign, and neither seemed to prosper as hoped in the Philadelphia 76ers “Pace Space Pass” scheme.

Et Tu, Trevor?

The question is, will new addition Trevor Booker do so?  One social media tweet seems to be rather opinioned on the matter.

I find myself less ecstatic.  Booker is a seven-year veteran. On one hand, he spot starts, absorbs 20 minutes per game, has some scoring potential, but is neither a good three-point nor free- throw shooter. On the other hand, he does work the boards rather well, and his size at 6-foot-8 and 228 pounds gives Brett Brown another big body to throw into the front court.  He has some skills on defense, and adds depth to the bench.

Finally, he is in the last year of his contract and his $9,125,000 is nearly identical to the combined salaries of Stauskas at $3,807,146 and Okafor at $4,995,120. In the end, Bryan Colangelo converted two young expiring contracts for a veteran expiring contract for the cost of a 2019 second round pick

The Trade

In the end, who will the team add to fill the other roster opening?  We had discussed ten possible free agent signings for the team should Okafor be dealt.

Next: Positional semantics aren’t important with the Sixers

Now the team can fill an open position. Keep in mind that the team loved Christian Wood in the 2016 NBA Summer League and he is now with the Delaware 87ers. He is a name to keep in mind going forward.