The Philadelphia 76ers are dead set on trading one of Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel sooner rather than later.
This isn’t necessarily a new development, but the NBA draft passed without either big man getting moved. The lack of a deal made it seem like the 76ers simply wanted too much in return for either.
According to a new note by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the 76ers haven’t backed off the trade hunt:
The Sixers have had periodic trade talks this summer involving Noel and Okafor and plan eventually to move one of them, league sources said. Philadelphia doesn’t believe the two players’ talents are complementary.
The 76ers put themselves in this hole by drafting primarily big men over the past few years. The new regime in place must now even out the roster and has chosen the two men who get in the way of each other the most as the trade chips.
Which one ends up getting moved isn’t easy to figure out. Noel is 22 and averaged 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year. Okafor is 20 and went for 17.5, 7.0 and 1.2 in the same categories.
Either way, Philadelphia won’t stop encountering the same problem as always here—no team will give up a notable amount for either player because it’s so obvious how desperate the team is to move them. This latest report, in fact, probably does the team more harm than good as it continues to look for a strong return.
As always since 2016 began, don’t expect this saga to end soon.
