NBA Rumors: Bulls Express Interest In Trading For Jahlil Okafor

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA trade deadline right around on the corner on Feb. 23, the rumors are starting to run rampant throughout the league with a few teams being mentioned as aggressively pursuing deals. The Chicago Bulls are one of those few with the team potentially targeting Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago, the Bulls have reached out to the 76ers about whether Okafor is available:

The Bulls have been active with the trade deadline approaching, and they’ve inquired about the availability of Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor, multiple league sources tell CSNChicago.com.

Okafor, who was taken third in the 2015 NBA Draft, has basically been on the trading block since joining the Sixers. Although initially considered a potential franchise player, Okafor hasn’t made the expected impact in Philadelphia and now has been completely overshadowed by breakout star, Joel Embiid.

Last year, Okafor played in 53 games before going down with a season-ending injury. The Duke product played well in his rookie campaign averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Unfortunately, things have changed with the emergence of Embiid and Okafor’s numbers have declined drastically this season. Okafor now averages 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and a 1.0 block per game in 23.1 minutes per contest in comparison to the 30 minutes he was averaging in his first season.

As for the Bulls, Chicago still has a team that could be bound for the playoffs and appear to be looking bolster their frontcourt. Okafor would be a solid addition for the Bulls and would also provide some hope for the future, especially with Dwyane Wade possibly leaving after this season and talk of Jimmy Butler potentially being on the move.