With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the latest reports suggest that the Chicago Bulls have inquired about the availability of Philadelphia 76ers Center Jahlil Okafor. The Chicago native is on the trading block as the 76ers have been rolling with Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel manning the middle.
Okafor, who is playing his second season in the NBA, has been widely considered to be a victim of the changing game. The 21-year old center has been sidelined by injuries during the previous season and is now struggling to keep up with the modern pace-and-space era coupled by his defensive woes.
Okafor averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 53 games last year for a Sixers team that only won 10 games in the regular season (15th in the Eastern Conference). This year, his numbers have dropped to 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 33 games considering his battles with nagging injuries compounded by the emergence of a franchise player in Joel Embiid.
So far, the Bulls are more interested in the possible trade deal than the 76ers according to a report by Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago. Okafor is on a rookie-scale deal and many are wondering how it could work for the 76ers if they are not allured by some of the Bulls' young players who have yet to reach their peak.
The Bulls also have the option to bring in a third team if need be, especially considering that they are not likely willing to let go of future first round draft picks, and that they are still deciding how they are moving forward with franchise direction in the next couple of years.
Goodwill clarified that talks between the two teams are not dead, but they are necessarily heating up either. It would be interesting to see Okafor play the low-post with Cristiano Felicio and Robin Lopez playing the center position.
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