During Sunday nightโs summer league telecast in Las Vegas, ESPNโs Jeff Goodman had a courtside interview with Ben Simmons, one of the building blocks of the Sixersโ future.
Jahlil Okafor was also there.
.@BenSimmons25 joins @ESPNNBA talking progress, @MarkelleF and more. #SummerSixers pic.twitter.com/MxfTcoQsgd
โ Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 10, 2017
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Toward the end of the two-minute conversation, Goodman asked Simmons about the future in Philly, when everyone is healthy. โWhat are realistic expectations for this team, when you guys are all healthy,โ Goodman asked. โIf itโs you on the court, Joel healthy, Markelleโฆthe guy sitting next to you, Jahlil Okaforโฆโ
As Simmons answered the question โ heโs excited, btw โ the camera pulled back to Okafor, who seemed less than enthused to be part of the conversation. Frankly, he seems less than enthused to be part of anything right now.
And who can blame him? Okafor has been the odd man out since Bryan Colangelo took over the Sixers. Itโs not unfair to say that after two years in the league, one in which he led the Sixers in scoring, Okafor has yet to live up to his No. 3 draft status. But with the way his sophomore season was handled, heโs destined to be a bust in Philly, and forever be known as the one big mistake Sam Hinkie made in The Process era.
Next season is crucial for Okaforโs career. Itโs one thing to be a bust for the team that drafted you. Blame Joel Embiidโs emergence and Brett Brownโs defense-first, run-and-shoot style that is a terrible fit for Okaforโs defense-optional, pound-the-rock skillset. But itโs another to be the No. 3 pick in the draft and be considered an NBA bust after three years. And so, for Okafor to be anything but a bust, he needs to get the heck out of Philly, where heโs been passed on the depth chart by Richaun Holmes and pushed further down by Amir Johnsonโs signing.
Okafor has been working hard to justify his spot on the Sixersโ roster, but itโs just the simple numbers game. The few times Brown played Embiid and Okafor together last year were somewhere between disastrous and just plain terrible, and adding Simmons and his 6-10 frame to the mix with Dario Saric, Johnson, Holmes and the other young forwards the Sixers have stockpiled, Brown would only be giving Okafor minutes next season to showcase him. They tried that last season and nobody wanted him. Why would that change now? Besides, giving minutes to Okafor would take time away from one of the other players who are a bigger part of the teamโs future plans.
He has to go. All thatโs left is a trade partner. Good luck with that.
Kyle Neubeck of Liberty Ballers wrote last week the Sixers are โtaking a sobering view of the situation,โ which is insider speak for the team admitting theyโd be willing to take the 40-to-50 cents on the dollar they werenโt willing to make at the trade deadline last year. It probably doesnโt help that Sixers scribes are calling Okafor โuntradeableโ at this point, though ESPNโs Zach Lowe โ as connected as any reporter in the country โ recently called a deal for Okafor โinevitable.โ
So itโll get done. Now itโs just figuring out where. Here are some guesses.
Celtics
Rumors had the Celtics linked to Okafor before the draft, but the deal for the No. 1 pick came and went without any active players going to either team. When the Celtics let Kelly Olynyk go to free agency โ he signed a four-year deal worth a reported $50M with Miami โ Okafor looked like a great fit for the Celtics again, the one team that could withstand giving up a future first-round pick for Phillyโs potential No. 3 bust.
Alas, what would ostensibly be a swap for Amir Johnson probably wonโt happen now, as the Cs found their back-up bigs elsewhere.
Free agent center Aron Baynes has reached agreement on a one-year, $4.3M deal with the Boston Celtics, league sources tell The Vertical.
โ Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2017
In addition to the one-year deal for Baynes, the Celtics dumped Avery Bradley for Philly native Marcus Morris to clear room to sign Gordon Hayward. Okafor is still on his rookie deal and will earn just under $5 million this season, with a club option for $6.3 next year. Al Horford is 31 years old, and Danny Ainge seems a bit on tilt this off-season, so itโs still entirely possible once the frenzy of free agency calms down, Okafor could still be a good fit for Boston. Right now, though, it seems less likely.
Nets
The Nets donโt have much to offer other than a future pick (in three years or so), but Brooklyn is trying to overhaul its roster, bringing in DโAngelo Russell and taking on the salary of DeMarre Carroll from Toronto and the Raptsโ first round pick without giving up anything other than back-up center Justin Hamilton.
Back-up center, you say?
The Nets took on the contract of Timofey Mozgov in the Russell deal, but Okafor could be a potential long-term fit with the Nets, who donโt have the same kind of big man logjam the Sixers have. The Netsโ Fansided blog seems all-in on an Okafor deal, suggesting just last week that his โuntapped potentialโ would be a good match for the Nets roster. That said, the suggested trade chips are Trevor Booker or Jeremy Lin, so clearly this wasnโt looking at giving the Sixers anything they actually need in the deal.
And yet, that might be exactly what the team has to do to get rid of Okafor.
Cavs
This is nuts, but a Cleveland writer at the Scout.com affiliate floated the idea, so letโs run with it. The Cavs trade Iman Shumpert for Okafor and Nik Stauskas.
I said it was nuts. The team that thinks itโs one player away from taking down the Warriors would not, in any way, think that player is Okafor, and yet, they are super top-heavy with salaries and need to get younger. Okafor and Stauskas would accomplish both things, as the duo make less combined than Shumpert earns, and both players are much younger. Itโs just, well, theyโre not any better.
The Cavs would be giving up their best non-LeBron wing defender for two guys who donโt play much defense at all. And with Kyle Korver inking for three more years in Cleveland, Stauskas seems redundant, unless they can dump JR Smith. And even that seems silly considering the return.
True, the Cavs fell short on a monster deal this off-season to give LeBron another star. But wowโฆthis idea is just wild. Letโs hope it happens soon.
Spurs
This isnโt a rumor yet at all, but โ BUT โ one of the commenters in this IG post brought it up, and, to be honest, it actually makes some sense.
owl______hold on๏ผto be honest i want you to be a player of Spurs
The Spurs only have 11 players under contract and donโt actually have anyone on their roster listed as a center. Thatโs good, because Okafor isnโt really a center, heโs more a power forward with limited range and questionable defensive instincts. What better man to fix those issues than Brett Brownโs old mentor Gregg Popovich?
There was an old rumor last season that Danny Green might be on the move and Jahlil Okaforโs name came up, so itโs not completely out of the realm of possibility that the Spurs could be interested in seeing if Jah is a better fit there than in Philly. He is an excellent passer for a big man, a hallmark of Popovichโs offenses. The Spurs are reportedly planning to bring back Pao Gasol, heโs 37, and LaMarcus Aldridge, now 31, hasnโt been the championship piece theyโd hoped when he came to town. Okafor might make sense as a cheap backup big who can develop and grow into the position.
Lakers
Sure, they just dealt for Brook Lopez, but Magic is big on guys being winners, and has touted Okafor as a winner everywhere heโs been.
I love Okafor because he’s won a state championship in HS, NCAA Title at Duke and he can bring that championship pedigree to the Lakers.
โ Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 10, 2015
Okafor might actually be a pretty great fit with Lonzo Ball and the new-look Lakers. Certainly, heโd be a better fit there than here.
There are other teams that could be interested as well. Chicago is revamping its entire roster. The Knicks are doing wacky things. Maybe Detroit? Point is, there are still some teams that could benefit from Okaforโs services. Itโs just clear it wonโt be the Sixers, and the sooner they can get him gone, the sooner everyone can forget this part of the process.
