Brooklyn Nets nearing deal for Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor needed a change of scenery, and he’ll finally get one with a trade set to send him to the Brooklyn Nets.

As the Philadelphia 76ers’ “process” starts to bring results (13-10, fifth place in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday’s action), Jahlil Okafor has been left behind. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft has played in just two games this season, for a total of 25 minutes, as trade rumors have been off and on for awhile.

But according to multiple reports, the 76ers are nearing a deal that will send Okafor, guard Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Trevor Booker.

The 76ers did not pick up their 2018-19 option on Okafor, which further spurred trade rumors and brought a reported desire for a buyout from Okafor’s end. He clearly has no place in their rotation as long as Joel Embiid is healthy, and playing him risked a removal of any trade leverage if an injury occurred.

After trading Brook Lopez to the Lakers during the offseason in the deal that brought them DeAngelo Russell, the Nets have not gotten much out of the center position this season. Timofey Mozgov, Tyler Zeller and rookie Jarrett Allen are averaging between 15 and 19 minutes per game with no notable production.

Okafor is averaging 14.6 points per game for his career, so he does bring offense as an old-school back-to-the basket big man along with a little rebounding (5.9 per game). But by traditional and advanced metrics, he does not add value defensively. That said, Okafor and Lopez are pretty similar in that regard and Lopez has been just fine.

Next: FanDuel daily NBA picks: Dec. 7

At minimum, starting or coming off the bench, Okafor should play a fair amount for the Nets. Simply being out of Philadelphia may be all he needs to get back on track, and Brooklyn can get a look at him over the rest of the season before considering a further commitment.