NBA Trade Deadline 2017: 5 trades that should have happened
2. Jahlil Okafor Actually Gets Dealt
Through various reports throughout deadline day, there were a few things that became apparent about the Philadelphia 76ers wanting to trade big man Jahlil Okafor. For starters, Marc Stein of ESPN reported that Okafor preferred the Bulls to any other destination. What’s more, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Bulls were unwilling to trade what the Sixers wanted for Okafor.That package included a first-round pick and a player, presumably a young asset considering we are talking about Philly here.
However, the trade that Chicago did complete with the Oklahoma City Thunder should’ve changed their mindset. Even if they weren’t going to deal Jimmy Butler, trading away an asset like Doug McDermott and a strong veteran like Taj Gibson in exchange for a young point guard, Cameron Payne, shows their hand and desire to retool. Subsequently, they could’ve done so in their frontcourt by adding Okafor. Even if he’s not as good as he looked when taken with the No. 3 pick, he’s a piece that could be more than serviceable moving forward and could also improve in a situation other than the 76ers’.
For those Sixers, they’d get a young asset in Denzel Valentine to help add to their still-thin guard rotation. Valentine hasn’t seen the floor much in his rookie season, but he’s young enough to warrant a look from a team like Philly. Additionally, they also pick up another expiring contract in Michael Carter-Williams (who’d likely be cut in this scenario) while getting the Bulls’ 2018 first-round pick. Yes, it’d be wild that Okafor would warrant a first when Nerlens Noel did not. However, the market changes minute-to-minute on deadline day and that would’ve been the price needed for the Bulls to go all-in on retooling.