It appears it’s time for the Philadelphia 76ers to accelerate their arduous rebuild, as ESPN reports that the team is exploring the trade market for big men Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor. Based on these reports, Philadelphia is likely to move at least one of them in time for the upcoming NBA Draft on June 23, where the Sixers hold the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1996. This time around, the Sixers look to be eyeing either LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke’s Brandon Ingram.
Sixers coach Brett Brown alluded to the likelihood that the team would become much more active in free agency than the previous four years. Via ESPN:
“Think about these types of resources,” Brown said during the interview. “We have the first pick. We have the 24th and 26th pick. On our current roster, we have Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Jerami Grant [and] Robert Covington. We had a [2014] draft class that effectively redshirted in Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.
“For the first time in my four years, we’re going to enter a legitimate approach to free agency.”
Moving one of these quality big men in Noel or Okafor is certainly a step towards building a competitive team. The fact that the Sixers are now looking to trade one of their young building blocks could mean they are placing a lot of faith in Saric and Embiid, neither of whom has yet played a regular-season NBA game.
Noel and Okafor have different skill sets but similar trade value. Noel is the bigger defensive presence of the two big men. While not lauded as a major offensive threat, he did increase his average point total from 9.9 to 11.1, so there is still room to grow for the 22-year old. He is a natural center and gives a team a major, athletic presence in the middle that can’t be overlooked.
Okafor will draw plenty of interest as well. He has a better offensive skill set and has the greater upside of the two. Despite a solid rookie season in which he averaged 17.5 points per game while being named to the NBA All-Rookie first team, his off-court behavior brings questions of his own, as his involvement in a Boston street fight early in the season can’t be overlooked. Despite this, his developed and growing skill set should warrant plenty of looks.
Based on these factors, and the looming needs that Philadelphia has in its backcourt, it would make more sense for the Sixers, at least this early in the process, to prioritize moving Noel over Okafor, especially given the rookie season the latter had on the floor. Despite his off the court altercation, he continually displays an offensive skill set not seen in too many big men. With Embiid highly regarded offensively and defensively, Noel appears to be the most expendable of the two. But the Sixers will be exploring any and all possibilities, and if the right deals come for either or both of these young big men, they appear willing to pull the trigger.
[ESPN]
