Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown all but confirmed that center Jahlil Okafor’s time in Philly may be up, telling reporters Saturday that he decided to sit out the 21-year-old because of the ongoing trade rumors surrounding the second-year player out of Duke. There have been reports that talks between the team and the New Orleans Pelicans about a potential trade for Okafor have heightened.
Last week, ESPN reported that the Pelicans and the Philadelphia 76ers were discussing a possible deal that would send Jahlil Okafor to New Orleans in exchange for Alexis Ajinca and a future first round pick. As noted by the report, Philadelphia is asking for a 2018 first round pick to be included in the potential deal.
“I felt it was best to not complicate things and not play Jahlil,” Brown told reporters after the team snapped Miami’s 13-game win streak Saturday. “We talked about it together before the game and I explained to him that this was going to happen for this reason – that’s why I made the decision.” Following his DNP-CD, Jahlil Okafor did not travel for Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, CBS Sports reported.
According to ESPN, the Pelicans have been on the lookout for a five man to pair with Anthony Davis. Apart from Jahlil Okafor, New Orleans has reportedly also explored potential deals to acquire Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Greg Monroe. Curiously, the 7’2” Alexis Ajinca has only played three minutes since Dec. 26, after the Pelicans decided to go small with the frontcourt duo of Davis and Terrence Jones.
Following an impressive rookie season, Jahlil Okafor has seen a dip in his numbers across the board. He averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds in his first season, while averaging 30 minutes per game. This year, he has only averaged 23.2 minutes per contest, leading to a dip in production at 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
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