The Jahlil Okafor saga came to an overdue conclusion on Thursday when the Philadelphia 76ers dealt the big man, along with Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick (via the Knicks), to the Brooklyn Nets for veteran power forward Trevor Booker.
The Sixers deserve credit for finally putting an end to a dismal situation surrounding the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. They butchered Okafor’s trade value by holding onto him for too long amid a logjam in the frontcourt, and left the 21-year-old stuck on the bench as they scrambled to find an acceptable return and landing spot for him amid his declining value.
The Nets will be a good spot for the Duke product to rebuild his worth. They are obviously committed to their youth movement and have a void at the center spot with minutes currently going to the likes of Tyler Zeller and an over-the-hill Timofey Mozgov. Okafor will have a chance to prove himself with the Nets, and he’ll have to do so in Kenny Atkinson’s uptempo system. If the big man succeeds, Brooklyn also has the cap room to retain him after the season (which shouldn’t be an issue since it’s hard to see Okafor commanding a big raise on the open market).
So while the Sixers may have done right by Okafor in finding him a place he can play, it’s a bit puzzling to see how they made out.
Let’s start with the players involved. Booker is the best player in the deal. He’s a nice energy power forward who rebounds and defends well, but he can’t really shoot outside the paint. He’s also on an expiring deal, making $9.1 million per year. I have no problems with Booker as a bench piece for this season, but my issue is adding a big to the Sixers logjam. There was a reason that Okafor wasn’t playing all year, and it’s because the Brett Brown already had four productive bigs to work with in Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Amir Johnson and Richaun Holmes. I would assume Booker takes some minutes from Johnson in that group, but he really isn’t much of an upgrade over the 30-year-old Johnson, who the Sixers spent $11 million on this offseason. Booker is nice insurance for if/when Embiid rests or gets hurt. But beyond that, I’m not sure why they gave up a draft pick for him, even if it’s just a second-round pick.
On top of that, Booker is probably just a rental for Philadelphia. If they want to use their cap room this summer on bigger names, they’ll have to renounce his $14 million cap hold. So giving up a couple young guys and a second round pick for a bench piece that the Sixers don’t really need is just a bit puzzling. It’s not a significant enough move to hurt Philadelphia much, but I think the Sixers would have been better off cutting Okafor outright then giving up a pick for Booker.
Meanwhile, the Nets come out of this deal by taking fliers on a couple of lottery picks who have been disappointments. They get an extended look at Okafor at center for the next few months. Stauskas is on an expiring deal as well, and is still young at age 24. Like Okafor, he has no trade value at this point, but he can shoot and may fit better in Atkinson’s uptempo system than he did in Philadelphia. Plus, they get a second-round pick that could land in the top 40 next year (Knicks) for their trouble.
While the Celtics no longer directly have any skin in the game in regards to the Nets pick, Boston fans and the front office are still watching how they are doing closely as it pertains to that unprotected 2018 first round pick going to the Cavs. On paper, Booker is a better player than Okafor and Stauskas right now, but there is obviously great upside in the latter two names there. Can the Nets tap into that potential this season? Or will more minutes for Okafor and Stauskas drag down the Nets in the standings? It will be an intriguing subplot to watch in the lottery standings over the rest of the season as Cleveland debates whether they should move the pick for win-now help. Brooklyn, despite their injuries, keeps exceeding expectations with a 10-15 record, which has to have the Cavs’ brass a little nervous.
All things considered, Brooklyn is a great spot for Okafor to continue his career. He’s going to get his shot now, and he’ll have a chance to sink or swim with it. It’s been a long wait for the 21-year-old, but the Celtics will get a couple looks at him over the next month with a pair of matchups looming with the Nets on Dec. 31 and Jan 6.
Other news and notes
- December 8th came and went without a trade, so the Celtics won’t be able to re-package any newly acquired pieces in a blockbuster deal ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. The lack of movement doesn’t come as a big surprise given how well the team is doing in the NBA standings through the first third of the season.
- Fun to see Mike James get rewarded with a full NBA contract after playing his way into the Suns’ rotation on a two-way deal. The Suns waived Derrick Jones Jr. in order to open up a 15-man roster spot for the point guard.
- The Nets waived shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick in order to make room on their roster for Stauskas in the Okafor trade. Kilpatrick has had a rough year after an impressive rookie campaign in which he averaged 12 points per game. He should find a landing spot soon.
- The Clippers were granted a $2.75 million disabled player exception this week for Patrick Beverley. With Blake Griffin sidelined for the next couple months, that modest amount probably won’t be able to stop their descent in the Western Conference standings. Center DeAndre Jordan has hired an agent to help guide him through the potential trade process since the team may be selling him off amid the downturn.
- Kawhi Leonard is inching closer to a return for the Spurs. The Celtics dodged him on Friday night, but Gregg Popovich declared he was going to return “sooner rather than later.” Expect him back on the floor this week.