The Philadelphia 76ers have finally traded Jahlil Okafor after many months of trade rumors and even a week in which Okafor wasn’t allowed to come to any games because of a possible trade. Finally, earlier this week, news broke that Okafor had been traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The official trade was Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and a 2nd round draft pick to the Nets for Trevor Booker.
In my opinion, the Brooklyn Nets won this trade by a large margin. I think Jahlil Okafor for Trevor Booker straight up is a great trade for both teams. Adding Stauskas and a pick was unnecessary for the Sixers.
This year, the 76ers lost their 2013 and 2015 lottery picks for basically nothing. First, they traded Nerlens Noel for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a pick in February. And now they traded away Jahlil Okafor.
I will now pick apart the trade for the Brooklyn Nets. Undoubtedly, the best player they got in the trade was Jahlil Okafor. I believe that Jahlil Okafor is one of the most underrated players currently in the NBA. In his rookie season, the year he got the most minutes (30 minutes), his statline was: 17.5 pts, 7.0 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.1 blk, and 0.4 stl. For comparison, the rookie of the year in 2015, Karl Anthony-Towns, had a statline of (32 minutes): 18.3 pts, 10.5 reb, 2.0 ast, 1.7 blk, and 0.7 stl. In each category, Towns has a slight advantage, including minutes. So everybody who has been calling Okafor a bust, is incorrect. The main reason his stats have dipped so much is because his minutes have dropped from 30 to 12. And because there is no debate that Joel Embiid deserves those minutes more, Okafor was traded to the Brooklyn Nets where he will soon become an All-Star in my opinion. Also, when Okafor averaged his amazing rookie stats, his team lacked any player to share the ball with him. Now, in Brooklyn, D’Angelo Russell will be feeding the ball to Jahlil whenever he is open. My prediction for Okafor’s Brooklyn stats this season is: 19.5 pts, 8.2 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.4 blk, and 0.6 stl.
Honestly, the Sixers really could have gotten a LOT more for Jahlil. There is no doubt that at least one team offered them a first round pick and a player. Even if no team did offer that, the Sixers could have waited until the trade deadline in 2 more months to wait for a good enough offer to trade Okafor.
Finally, my last point is that the Cleveland Cavaliers also lost this trade. The Brooklyn Nets 2018 pick (which the Cavs acquired when trading Kyrie) now has even less trade value. The Cavs could have made a huge trade by acquiring Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, or even DeAndre Jordan. Now, they will just have to hope that luck goes their way and they could trade for some star to come play for them.
Overall, I am very excited for the Brooklyn Nets future after this trade, and I hope they make the playoffs this season.
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