Desperation kicks in with 76ers finalizing trade of Jahlil Okafor to Nets for basically nothing

After all of the trade rumors surrounding Jahlil Okafor, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to have finally found a partner to take the former Duke star in the Brooklyn Nets.

Back in 2015, the Philadelphia 76ers were sitting in a tough position during the NBA Draft when Jahlil Okafor was the best player at No. 3, mainly because it was one of those situations in which they couldn’t afford to pass on the former Duke star. Not to mention, the Sixers had used the same pick on Joel Embiid the year before in the NBA Draft, so there was always a debate on how Okafor would fit into the picture when it comes to big men on this team since he appeared to be the odd man out.

Luckily, after all of the trade rumors dating back to last season, Philadelphia seems like they’re finally going to get Okafor off their hands this week after a report claims the team is finalizing a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. As part of the deal, Okafor would join the Nets along with Nik Stauskas and a future second-round pick in exchange for Trevor Booker.

Is this deal frustrating when considering Okafor is a former first-round pick, and the argument can be made that Philadelphia missed out on numerous trade opportunities over the previous two years to get a better offer? Of course it is. But at the end of the day, this trade involving Okafor was long overdue, and needed to happen. When looking at all of the drama behind the center expressing his frustration by still being on the team without receiving playing time, a fresh start for Okafor would seem best for both parties.

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As for whether the Sixers should be worried about this trade coming back to haunt them down the road when considering the Nets are in the same division, well let’s just say Okafor hasn’t given the team any reason for panic. Sure, there have been times when Okafor has put together some impressive performances for Philadelphia over the years. But if he actually lived up to the hype as a former No. 3 pick, and wasn’t so inconsistent when healthy enough to play in the lineup, the Sixers wouldn’t have put all that effort into trying to trade Okafor over the last two seasons. So in other words, best of luck to the Nets with having him on the roster, assuming the deal does in fact go through.