Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round pick in 2014, is expected to take the court for the first time in his NBA career next season. Despite arguably being the No. 1 overall prospect in his draft class, Embiid fell to the third pick due to injuries that have since kept him sidelined for the entirety of his brief NBA career.
If healthy, Philly will find itself with a logjam of young talent at the position. Fellow lottery selections Jahlil Okafor (2015) and Nerlens Noel (2013) also play at the big man positions. Although talented, there aren't enough minutes or touches to go around for the trio, which means one of them could be traded.
"I think that there's a very high likelihood, that whether it's to move up in the draft or use them to grab a free agent in a sign and trade or just to a trade, that you will not see the Nerlens Noel-Joel Okafor pairing at the start of next season," ESPN Insider Chad Ford said in a recent interview. "I think that they'll gauge the interest of both players. I think that there might be a slight preference for Noel, to keep him around with the Sixers, and I think you might be right, there might be a slight, better value for Okafor out on the market, but I think everyone agrees that that combination of those two players doesn't necessarily work."
Speculation has run rampant on the availability of both players for months, with Okafor rumored to be the most likely to be traded. One rumor even hinted that general manager Bryan Colangelo had offered him to the Boston Celtics for the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.
"If I was Philadelphia, it would be done tomorrow," Ford continued. "I don't know if Boston would do it, but for Philadelphia, 100 percent. That would allow them to actually I think bring in another guard, an elite guard, whether that's Kris Dunn or Jamal Murray, and suddenly now you've got a very, very bright future. I think that's an easy call for the Sixers if Boston would do it."
In addition to the Celtics, the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned as possible landing spots for Okafor.
