Philadelphia 76ers: Why Trade A Big Now?

Jahlil Okafor is the best player the Philadelphia 76ers possess at this point. Trading him would be the most outrageous decision possible right now. As would trading teammate Nerlens Noel.

There have been numerous rumors recently about the Philadelphia 76ers being open to the idea of trading one of their big guys. If this is a rumor under serious consideration by Bryan and Jerry Colangelo, they should hold off on any trades until after this season or at least until the trade deadline.

One argument could be made that the NBA is evolving and that the need for big men is much less than it has been in years past. This is true for the current NBA. Unfortunately though, the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t in a position to win right now. To think that the blueprint to win now is the same blueprint to win three to five years from now would absurd.

Getting rid of centers now for underachieving guards and draft picks would be the Sam Hinkie thing to do. Philly isn’t a city that considers the team a success when it attains countless assets. The players who man the five spot for the Philadelphia 76ers are the team’s strong suit right now. Parting ways with one or both of your two best plays would have no logical reasoning behind it at all.

The main argument for those who think that trading a big now would be a stupendous idea is that they have the third pick in the 2014 NBA draft returning to the team this year in Joel Embiid. Embiid could be a dominant big man in the league with double-double potential written all over him from head to toe. However, he hasn’t played in a game yet in his NBA career.

Need you be reminded of Ohio State standout Greg Oden? Oden wasn’t able to play for essentially his entire time spent with the Trail Blazers. His career began with an injury and was riddled with them throughout all of his attempts of returning to the floor. Although the two suffered different injuries, Oden with knee problems, and Embiid with a broken bone in his foot, the similarities are there.

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The talk of the town has been if Okafor isn’t traded, Nerlens Noel’s time spent in Philly is all but up. This is another premise that would warrant putting the Philadelphia 76ers’ management in a psych ward. Noel is only 22 years young. He is thin and lanky, yes. But his ability to be a defensive presence is one that all championship caliber teams need averaging 1.5 blocks and 1.8 steals and adding 8.1 rebounds a game. He’s not an offensive juggernaut but he put up a modest 11.1 points according to Basketball Reference.

And what Noel lacks on the offensive side of the ball, Okafor excels at. Okafor managed 17.5 points and seven boards a contest in the 2015-2016 season at just 20 years old. With the game becoming more focused on the three point ball of late, some teams who hang their hat on it, aren’t able to figure out what to do when the shots beyond the ark aren’t falling. That’s where a big guy who can dominate the low post comes into play.

Whether or not Okafor and Noel can learn to play on the court for the Philadelphia 76ers at the same tie remains to be seen. But depending on what each game and each situation calls for, it’s nice to have either of the two as an option.

The entire trade scenario hinges on whether or not Joel Embiid can play, and play at a high level for the entire course of a rigorous 82 game NBA season. If he can, then the Philadelphia 76ers have the opportunity to take any one of their three bigs and turn them into a high draft pick next year or an accomplished veteran. If he can’t, then you still have Noel, Okafor, and whoever the Colangelos decide to take number one overall.

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No matter the course of action taken, it doesn’t need to be taken now. Sit back and wait to see what happens this year. Next offseason, or at the earliest the trade deadline of next season, everyone will have a better idea of what the Philadelphia 76ers have at the 4 and 5 spots and that will be a much more comfortable time to pull the trigger on a deal.