The NBA draft day trade the world needs
The NBA Draft kicks off Thursday evening at 7:00p ET at the Barclays Arena. This event signals the genesis of the NBA offseason and triggers future free agent strategies for franchises across the league. Some will draft for need, some will draft the best player available, and a handful have no intentions of keeping the player(s) they select in any capacity.
Draft day trades are inevitable. During the 2015 NBA draft nine trades were executed, with the biggest being Nicolas Batum being shipped out of Portland for a bag of chips — wait, no TWO bags of chips (Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson flavored ones).
Pre-draft season is upon us and with it comes stories and narratives galore about “team x wanting to move player y” and “executive b being sooooo fed up with player a”. Posturing is a legit strategy leading up to the draft as teams are always attempting to increase the value of their draft slot in case teams come calling to make a trade.
This season the Philadelphia 76ers have been in the news plenty. First there was the Hinkie debacle, then the Colangelo coup, and yesterday we learned that they reportedly will select Ben Simmons No. 1 overall AND Joel Embiid has been approved for “light scrimmaging 5-on-5”. Cause for joy! The City of Brotherly Love hasn’t had much to be joyous or excited about in quite some time, but with Simmons coming in, Embiid finally healthy, and maybe even Dario Saric coming, their hope has been renewed.
If you hadn’t already noticed, there’s a logjam in the front court. They have all this talent and if one — or even two — were quality point guards then the Sixers would be set, but as it stands they are reportedly shopping both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. Noel holds more value to other NBA teams, but also to the Sixers so the odd man out appears to be Okafor at the present time.
There is however a solution to the Sixers’ dilemma. Move Okafor for a young point guard to build around Noel, Simmons, and Embiid. Sounds simple, but young, established point guards are ridiculously expensive or off limits altogether. There is, however another option and that’s trading for a draft pick to select your point guard of the future.
The Deal
Phoenix receives: Jahlil Okafor and No. 24 pick
Look, Jahlil Okafor had a turbulent rookie season in Philadelphia with numerous minor off-court issues that made headlines. Couple those speed bumps with the fact that the 20-year old really struggled to prove his worth on the defensive end of the court this season, and Sixers’ fans and executives alike seem to have him on the expendable list this summer.
In an ironic twist, Okafor had one of the best offensive seasons a 20-year old could have hoped for in the NBA. He became only one of seven — seven in NBA history — players age 20 or younger to post at least 17 points and seven rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Okafor joins a prestigious list, including Magic Johnson, Adrian Dantley, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Anthony Davis, and fellow rookie Karl Anthony-Towns.
The Phoenix Suns have a glaring hole in the front court that Okafor could immediately fill. Although he isn’t the archetype for what teams are seeking in terms of a pick-and-pop big men, he can demand a double team in the post and help the Suns spacing. General manager Ryan McDonough gets his long-term low-post presence and acquires a late 1st round pick in the process. This would leave Phoenix with selections No. 13, No. 24, and No. 28 giving them flexibility for more draft day moves, or they could hold tight and add more youth to their budding roster.
This works for Phoenix because they get a known commodity in lieu of the 4th overall pick, where honestly it’s a crapshoot unless you need a guard — which they do not. So instead of reaching for a boom or bust project like Marquese Chriss and praying it works out, they get a dependable low-post presence with star written all over him.
Philadelphia receives: No. 4 pick and Alex Len
Okafor has clearly overstayed his welcome — in just one season! — and even if Philadelphia changed their mind it might be difficult to earn his trust and confidence moving forward as a franchise.
Instead, they move him for the No. 4 pick in Thursday’s draft and select Kris Dunn to man their point guard spot for years to come. Dunn is a 22-year old, electric guard out of Providence who is likely the best guard prospect in the entire draft. The Sixers missed out on obtaining picks No. 1 and No. 4 when the draft lottery went the Los Angeles Lakers’ way allowing them to keep their top-3 protected pick that was owed to Philly. This move allows them to get that pick back and draft the player that is both best suited for their needs and the best player available (in all likelihood).
Dunn has endured a tough upbringing and it has ultimately made him stronger and more hungry for this NBA dream of his. Hard-nosed, blue-collar Philadelphia fans will instantly fall in love with Dunn as he flies up and down the court giving everything he has from night to night. His perimeter defense is an underrated facet of his glowing court game and he would be the ideal selection if this move were made on draft night.
Alex Len might appear to be a throw-in at this point, but he showed some real flashes last year for the Suns. The 7-1 center is still just 23-years old and is heading into his 4th pro season since coming out of Maryland. He had career highs last season posting 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in just over 23 minutes a night for coach Earl Watson. Len has two more years on his rookie deal, which would give Philly ample time to see what they have in him, or they could even flip him yet again to a team who really needs a budding young center.
Overall Outlook
It seems inevitable that Jahlil Okafor will be traded before the start of the 2016-17 season. Making a trade like this before the draft would not be wise because you don’t know if the player you are targeting will be available at the No. 4 pick. That’s why this trade is perfect for draft day. If Dunn isn’t there at No. 4, then the Sixers don’t lose their young stud Okafor, and if he is there then they can pull the trigger and acquire their target.
The Suns have a gaping hole in their frontcourt and while the defensive questions regarding Okafor will still be there, pairing him with defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler should help aide in his development on that end of the court. Again, he’s only 20-years old — there are still at least five years left until we likely see his true ceiling. It’s not often that known commodities like Jahlil become available this early, so the Suns would be wise to jump on this opportunity while they can.