The fact that Philadephia would like to trade either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor is about as big a secret as Donald Trump’s favorite thing to talk about is Donald Trump. Heck, the Sixers GM all but admitted it.
Today the Sixers added veteran Elton Brand to a crowded, but young, frontcourt. But they still want to make it less crowded, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports confirmed. Again.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.
They aren’t complementary. When Noel and Okafor two were on the court together last season, Philadelphia was outscored by 20 points per 100 possessions.
The Sixers reportedly would prefer to move Okafor — who brings good post offense and solid rebounding but no defense — however, there has been more interest in Noel. Just not enough for another team to make a reasonable offer.
Don’t be shocked if a deal gets done during camp (especially if another team suffers an injury to a frontcourt player).