Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor are both still members of the Philadelphia 76ers…for now. But that could change…eventually.
The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped this tidbit at the end of his report that the Sixers had signed Elton Brand to a one-year deal:
The Sixers have had periodic trade talks this summer involving Noel and Okafor and plan eventually to move one of them, league sources said. Philadelphia doesn’t believe the two players’ talents are complementary.
It’s no surprise that the Sixers don’t believe Noel and Okafor can work together. They can’t. It’s stretch to say that Joel Embiid can work with either one.
And that begs the question: Why hasn’t one of them been traded already?
For starters, all the available trade packages probably aren’t good enough. Okafor is working off knee surgery, and Noel will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. The asking price on both is likely higher than any interested party is willing to pay.
There’s also the matter of Embiid. The Sixers don’t know what they have in him yet. They think he’s a stud, but they really don’t know. He missed his first two NBA seasons due to foot issues. They need to see how he fares, and who, if anyone, he works best with. Is it Okafor and his advanced post moves? Or is it Noel and his potential as a rim-running defensive anchor?
Allowing this logjam to leak into next season buys the Sixers time to figure that out. But they won’t want to wait too long before moving one of Noel or Okafor, lest their already-uncertain values be torpedoed by a frontcourt rotation that doesn’t suit any of its participants.
