NBA Trade Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers Willing To Trade Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers were fortune enough to come out victorious earlier this month in the NBA Draft Lottery. Philadelphia was the odds-on favorite to secure the first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and that’s excatly what transpired on May 17.
With the 76ers now officially the owners of the number one overall pick on June 23, the team is starting to consider their options regarding improving the roster. One of those options may be parting ways with one or two of the team’s best players via trade.
According to Chad Ford of ESPN, the 76ers may be seriously considering trading Jahlil Okafor and or Nerlens Noel over the summer:
“I think that there’s a very high likelihood, that whether it’s to move up in the draft or use them to grab a free agent in a sign and trade or just to a trade, that you will not see the Nerlens Noel-Jahlil Okafor pairing at the start of next season,” said Ford. “I think that they’ll gauge the interest of both players. I think that there might be a slight preference for Noel, to keep him around with the Sixers, and I think you might be right, there might be a slight, better value for Okafor out on the market, but I think everyone agrees that that combination of those two players doesn’t necessarily work.”
Although Okafor was solid in his rookie campaign in Philadelphia, the struggling franchise seems more than willing to send the former Duke star packing before next season. Okafor may have hinted to his discontent with the team and the direction, therefore forcing the team’s hand, but regardless of the reasoning, Philadelphia seems to be ready to part ways after only one season.
As for Noel, the Kentucky product may have more of a long-term future in Philadelphia and could be one of the building blocks of the future. There’s no doubt Noel is a talented young player, but if a trade is feasible, it may happen.
Fortunately for the 76ers, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel if they can flip one of these young players for a veteran star or add more promising players from the upcoming draft. Philadelphia is expected to draft Ben Simmons out of LSU and may be able to add a few other young pieces.
