When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, many people were confused as to why they did so. The two years prior to that, they used their first round picks on big men Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, so clearly there would be some sort of overload in the future.
It can be argued that the 76ers had no other choice but to take Okafor after the Lakers somewhat surprisingly took D'Angelo Russell, but now they have to deal with that overload. Embiid hasn't played in an NBA game yet, but the 76ers expect him back and stronger than ever for next season, so that will leave Philly with some decisions to make.
At this seasons trade deadline, the 76ers reportedly made everyone available for a trade, but they decided to stand pat. This offseason, though, they are expected to be aggressive again and could look to deal Okafor. The 76ers see Embiid and Okafor as extremely similar players, and they have already realized that pairing Okafor with Noel doesn't work that well, so moving on from one does make sense.
If the Sixers are going to trade one of them, it would have to be Okafor because Embiid has almost no trade value. Okafor, on the other hand, has plenty of trade value because he is just 20 years old and, although he is out for the year now, he had an impressive rookie season. In 53 games, Okafor averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor. If you look at his numbers per possession, he is in elite company with how great his rookie season has been.
The 76ers see Embiid as a cornerstone player when he is eventually able to play, but it is clear that Okafor has star potential as well. You would have a hard time convincing anyone that either of these guys should be coming off the bench and the 76ers are convinced they wouldn't play well together so a trade is the only option.
Trading Okafor should be able to get the 76ers back some nice pieces that will be helpful in continuing their rebuild, but it is also an enormous risk. If the 76ers trade Okafor, they are putting a lot of faith in Embiid being healthy, which is tough to do considering he never has been. At this point, it is clear that keeping all three big men is not something the 76ers believe is prudent. Of the three, Okafor's value is the highest and he, therefore, should bring the greatest return, but it is also possible that he becomes the best player of the three. This will not be an easy decision for the 76ers to make this offseason, but that's the reason they get paid the big bucks.
